Marinette County Man Sentenced to 12 years in Federal Prison for Soliciting Sexually Explicit Images of a Minor

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 24, 2024, David A. Johnson (age: 37) of Marinette County County, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach.

According to court records, Johnson used various online media platforms to engage in sexual conversations with minors in Florida and Ohio. He requested explicit visual images from the minors and also sent them explicit images of his genitalia. Independently, each minor contacted law enforcement in their respective states. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arranged to have an undercover agent converse with Johnson online. Johnson believed the agent was a 14-year-old child. Johnson demanded that the “child” send him explicit images.  Within days of commencing the investigation, Johnson was taken into custody at his residence in Marinette. 

At sentencing, Judge Griesbach noted the extremely serious nature of the crime and commended the bravery of the victims who reported Johnson’s actions. Judge Griesbach found a strong need to protect the public from Johnson. Ultimately, the judge determined that a sentence of 12 years in federal prison was a fair and just sentence. Upon the completion of his prison sentence, Johnson will spend 15 years on supervised release. He will also have to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Green Bay Resident Agency, Milwaukee Division, and the Lima Resident Agency, Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Marinette County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

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For further information contact:

Public Information Officer

Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

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