New York man sentenced to 15 years in prison for traveling to Oregon to sexually assault a child he met while playing an online video game

MEDFORD (Released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office) – A New York man was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for traveling to Southern Oregon to sexually abuse a child and capturing the abuse on video.

Brent Johnson, Jr., 26, was sentenced to 180 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.

According to court documents, Johnson contacted a child through an online video game in August 2021 and, after exchanging phone numbers with the child, continued to communicate with them through text messages and phone calls. Undeterred by the child’s age, Johnson traveled to Southern Oregon in late 2021, where he sexually abused the child and captured the abuse on video. In February 2022, the child’s mother contacted police after receiving text messages and images from Johnson.

On May 5, 2022, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a three-count indictment charging Johnson with sexually exploiting a child, distributing child pornography, and traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

On June 26, 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Long Island, New York and Medford, and the Rogue River Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Judith R. Harper, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone with information about the physical or online exploitation of children is encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember that child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes against children. These images and videos not only document the exploitation and abuse of the victims, but when shared over the internet, the child victims are revictimized and traumatized every time their abuse is viewed. For more information, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.