Samuel J. Johnson, Child Pornography, Florida 2015

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A Ft. Walton man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in a child pornography ring, authorities announced today.

Samuel J. Johnson, 42, a registered sex offender who resides in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, was sentenced to 480 months in prison for production and receipt of child pornography, and the transfer of obscene matter to a minor. The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

At his guilty plea on September 14, 2015, Johnson admitted that, between April 2013 and April 2015, he knowingly used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual depictions, and that he committed this offense while required to register as a sex offender.

During an undercover operation, law enforcement officers discovered that Johnson possessed child pornography videos and images on his cellular telephone and computers. Additionally, detectives recovered thousands of text messages between Johnson and an underage female, including those persuading the minor to produce and send videos of child pornography.

“I commend our prosecutors and law enforcement professionals for their hard work to bring child predators to justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova. “This prison sentence is a reminder that those who seek to harm our children face serious consequences under federal law.”

The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Pensacola Police Department, and the other agencies that are part of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, whose joint investigation led to the charges in this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.

For more information, contact: Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer (850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov

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