Richard Wayne Johnson, Child Pornography, Florida 2014

Tampa, FL – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, Richard Wayne Johnson, a 68-year-old resident of St. Petersburg, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his involvement in transporting and possessing child pornography.

According to court documents, an undercover agent used a file-sharing program to download Internet files containing child pornography in April 2014. Further investigation traced the host computer back to Johnson, leading agents to execute a federal search warrant at his residence on May 1, 2014.

During the search and a later forensic examination, agents found over 3,600 videos and 476 images depicting child pornography on Johnson’s computer, some of which involved toddlers. Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges on August 25, 2014.

As part of his sentence, Johnson was ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution to the victims of the offenses and was fined $17,500. He was also ordered to forfeit a desktop computer that had been used to facilitate the offenses.

Johnson’s case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Largo Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorney Joseph W. Swanson handling the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Richard Wayne Johnson’s sentence serves as a reminder of the severe consequences of child exploitation and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes.

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