New York Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Sex Crimes in Southern Oregon

Medford, Oregon- Brent Johnson, Jr., a 26-year-old from New York, was sentenced Tuesday to 180 months in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release for sexually abusing a child in Southern Oregon and recording the abuse.

According to court documents, in August 2021, Johnson contacted a child through an online video game. After exchanging phone numbers, he continued communicating with the child through text messages and phone calls. Despite the child’s age, Johnson traveled to Southern Oregon in late 2021, where he sexually abused the child and captured the act on video.

In February 2022, the child’s mother reported the crime to authorities after receiving text messages and images from Johnson. This led to a federal grand jury in Medford returning a three-count indictment on May 5, 2022, 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.

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

This case was 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.