A Washington, D.C., man has been convicted on child pornography charges after a federal jury found him guilty of transporting and possessing illegal material, some involving minors under 12 years of age, officials said Wednesday.
Stephen Rattley Johnson, 36, faced the dire music of the justice system as U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI's David J. Scott, and Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith announced the verdict, delivered in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to court documents, over two days in September and October 2020, Johnson uploaded hundreds of files to his Google Drive, which were later identified as child pornography.
Google clamped down on his accounts, but not before flagging and reporting 220 files to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip-off led law enforcement to recover the content of Johnson’s Google Drive, finding a trove of files that depicted the sexual abuse of prepubescent girls.
Digital forensics experts dug deep, revealing that Johnson had been downloading and viewing these files since April 2020. Even after Google disabled his account, Johnson's digital trail didn't go cold. His web history showed continued navigation to child pornography sites, and his cellphone confirmed his persistence in seeking this type of content, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Johnson was found guilty on five counts of transportation and one count of possession, with sentencing influenced by the fact that the materials involved minors under the age of 12. Authorities detained Johnson pending sentencing by Judge Carl J. Nichols. Transporting child pornography mandates a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, while possession involving young children carries a doubled penalty, meaning up to 20 years behind bars.
The disgusting trail of digital breadcrumbs left by Johnson's actions was uncovered by a coordinated effort from the FBI Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, among others. Assistant U.S. Attorneys have been leading the prosecution, while other officials, including paralegal specialists and a victim–witness service coordinator, provided essential support for the case.
