Seth Anthony Johnson, 35, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court in Boise to 60 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography, and sexual exploitation of minor after a prior conviction for a felony sex offense, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Johnson to serve lifetime supervised release following his prison sentence. After a three-day trial held in October 2019, a jury found Johnson guilty of the three crimes.

According to court records, Johnson was arrested on November 29, 2017. At that time, federal agents discovered six images of child pornography on his cell phone. After eight months of investigation, agents identified the minor victim as an 8-year-old girl. Agents also determined that Johnson had produced the images of child pornography with his cell phone. At the time that he did so, Johnson was required to register as a sex offender under federal and state law due to a prior rape conviction.

“The 60-year sentence imposed by Chief Judge Nye will ensure the community’s most vulnerable members, young children, are protected from future predatory behavior by Johnson,” U.S. Attorney Davis said. “The continued dedication and determination of federal agents to identify the victim in this case was nonpareil.”

“These heinous crimes against children must come to an end,” said Eben Roberts, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Seattle. “The sentencing in this case represents how committed HSI and our partners are about removing dangerous predators from our streets. I could not be more proud of all of those involved in this case,” Roberts continued.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”