Florida man sentenced to 170 years in prison for sexually abusing foster children

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to 170 years in federal prison on Thursday for sexually exploiting at least 18 children under his care as a foster parent.

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According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Justin Dwayne Johnson Sr., 48, of Sanford, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to four counts of production of child sexual abuse material, one count of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sex abuse material.

Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges on July 7, 2022, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement officials began an investigation in January, after an acquaintance of Johnson’s reported possible sex crimes, WFTV reported. Prosecutors said that Johnson had cameras in his home and recorded children in the nude, adding that he possessed videos of him touching the children.

Authorities seized several devices belonging to Johnson, which revealed “numerous images and videos” of child sex abuse, the news release stated.

“Just the amount of videos that had been recorded, it seems as if it was on a constant basis for however long that he’s actually been doing it,” David Thomas, a Sanford police investigator, told WFTV.

Prosecutors said evidence showed that Johnson had used the children under his care to produce “depictions of sexually explicit conduct.”

Police removed five children from Johnson’s home in February, according to WFTV. Johnson had fostered at least 20 children since 2019, authorities told the television station.

The plea agreement showed that the victims ranged in age from 18 days old to teens, the television station reported in July.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Sanford Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

“Instead of offering a haven for foster children, this predator betrayed the children with a home of horrific abuse,” David Walker, the FBI Tampa special agent in charge, said in a statement. “The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force is committed to identifying, locating, and recovering the innocent victims of sexual abuse and ensuring their abusers are brought to justice.”

“Johnson’s crimes are particularly disturbing, in that he was in a position that is expected to provide protection and care to already vulnerable children, and he exploited that role and further victimized these young children,” Sanford police Chief Cecil Smith said in a statement. “I hope his sentence brings some comfort to those who he has abused.”

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