LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Richard Wayne Johnson, a resident of Oldham County, Kentucky, has been unmasked as a predator, pleading guilty in United States District Court to charges including the possession, transportation, and advertising of images containing child pornography.
According to court documents, Johnson openly admitted to receiving and amassing thousands of images of child exploitation. His sinister activities did not end there; he further confessed to using the Internet as his personal marketplace to peddle these illegal materials.
A Cybertip from AOL led to Johnson’s downfall when it was discovered that a user was exchanging child pornography via email, which was traced back to Johnson. The trail led to an online group where Johnson had been actively advertising for the trading of such explicit content. He meticulously described the “albums” containing his illegal collection and required interested parties to contact him directly for access.
In a shocking turn of events, law enforcement officials executed a state search warrant at Johnson’s residence on September 17, 2013. A thorough examination of his computers and digital devices uncovered thousands more images of child exploitation that had been downloaded from the Internet.
The Justice Department is seeking a sentence of 30 years’ incarceration for Johnson, who now faces an agreed-upon lifetime period of supervised release upon sentencing.
Scheduled for July 17, 2017, before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell, this case serves as another stark reminder of the ongoing efforts by federal and state law enforcement to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless is prosecuting this case, with Kentucky State Police leading the investigation.
This case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative by the Department of Justice launched in 2006. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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