New York man sentenced to prison for traveling to Oregon to sexually assault a minor

MEDFORD, Ore. (KATU) — A New York man was sentenced to prison Thursday for traveling to Southern Oregon to sexually abuse a child and recording the abuse.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 26-year-old Brent Johnson Jr. has been 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 and, after exchanging phone numbers with the child, continued to communicate with them through text messages and phone calls in August 2021.

Law enforcement officials say Johnson knew the child’s age but still traveled to Southern Oregon, where he sexually abused the child and recorded the abuse.

In February 2022, the child’s mother contacted police after receiving text messages and images from Johnson.

On May 5, 2022, a grand jury indicted and charged Johnson with sexually exploiting a child, distributing child pornography, and traveling with the intent to engage in illegal sexual conduct.

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

Police urge anyone with information about the physical or online exploitation of children 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, visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.

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, click here.