Gainesville man pleads guilty for producing child pornography and faces up to 30 years in prison

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - A Gainesville man has pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of production of child pornography.

Robert Lee Johnson, 39, met with a minor victim back in 2020. The victim was 14.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Johnson recorded the victim and threatened to post the videos online. A search warrant revealed the sexually explicit footage of the exploitation of the minor on Johnson’s phone.

The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, John P. Heekin, announced the plea.

“This defendant preyed upon and sexually exploited a minor child,” said Heekin, “but thanks to the excellent investigative work by our state and federal law enforcement partners and the aggressive prosecution by my office he is on his way to federal prison.”

Johnson faces 15 to 30 years in prison for each count and is required to register as a sex offender.

The sentencing is scheduled for September 1 at 11:30am.

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