Santee man gets over 12 years for child porn distribution over dark web

City News Service
Posted

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A Santee man who distributed large quantities of child sexual abuse material online has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison.

James David Johnson, 58, distributed illicit material on at least five "dark web communities dedicated to child sexual abuse material and the sexual exploitation of children,'' according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prosecutors alleged in a sentencing memo that Johnson became a high-level administrator on one of these sites, which prominently featured content "depicting children being subject to pain, humiliation, and distress.'' The memo also alleged that Johnson ``provided advice to his fellow offenders about how to evade detection from law enforcement.''

FBI seizures of Johnson's computer devices in late 2024 revealed "more than 260,000 images and videos of apparent child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as autopsy and crime-scene photos depicting deceased children," according to the DOJ.

Johnson pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced Friday in San Diego federal court to 151 months in prison.