Ohio Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

FORT WAYNE –Gregory Johnson, 47 years old, of Franklin, Ohio, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady on his conviction for Attempted Child Exploitation following a two-day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Defendant Johnson was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in April 2020, Johnson engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with an undercover officer who Johnson believed to be sexually active with a minor.  Over the course of several online conversations, Johnson made sexual comments about the minor and expressed an interest in watching a livestream of the minor engaged in sexual activity with the undercover officer.  Johnson attempted to commit this crime by providing the undercover officer with graphic detail about exactly what he wanted to see.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lesley J. Miller Lowery and Justin Sheridan.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.