WASHINGTON D.C.
An Indiana man was sentenced last week to 50 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for using social media to produce child pornography.
Lorenzo Johnson, 33, of Hammond, was convicted on Aug. 16 by a federal jury of three counts of conspiring to produce child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Johnson used Facebook accounts in the names of others to identify women with access to children who appeared to be experiencing financial difficulties.
Johnson, a registered sex offender, offered those women money to take sexually explicit photos of infants and prepubescent children whom they knew, and successfully persuaded three such women.
These were subsequently charged with child pornography offenses, to send him photos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and prepubescent children, according to authorities.
One such woman subsequently plead guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
A second is scheduled to plead guilty on Dec. 21.
Both women are pleading guilty in federal court and charges against a third woman were dismissed in Indiana because she died during the course of the prosecution.
In an interview with the FBI, Johnson admitted that he had also solicited the production of child sexual abuse material from other Facebook users as a means of blackmail.
Evidence presented at trial showed Johnson asked one woman to produce pornography so he could “hold something over her head.”
In addition, Facebook records admitted into evidence showed Johnson discussing the sexual abuse of children with his co-conspirators and threatening to “expose” them if they did not agree to produce the pornography.
Johnson was previously convicted in 2009 in Illinois of aggravated sexual abuse involving a minor.
“Lorenzo Johnson’s criminal conduct merits the lengthy sentence that the judge imposed today,” said U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana. “Manipulating vulnerable women into producing pornographic images of voiceless children is despicable criminal behavior. I want to thank all our law enforcement partners for their hard work rendering justice in this case.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.