James Matthew Johnson, a 36-year-old resident of Glade Valley, North Carolina, received a sentence of 22 years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This was announced by Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Johnson will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.
The announcement was supported by Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for North and South Carolina, and Chief Andy LeBeau of the Boone Police Department.
Court documents revealed that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received information indicating that Johnson was uploading CSAM to a cloud service. Following an investigation initiated by law enforcement, Johnson was identified as the suspect. In June 2023, authorities executed a search warrant and seized his electronic devices. A forensic examination found over 200 images and 300 videos depicting child sexual abuse on these devices. Additionally, it was discovered that Johnson had produced CSAM involving a minor who appeared intoxicated in the materials. During questioning, Johnson admitted that the minor victim did not know about the production of these materials.
Johnson pleaded guilty to producing child pornography on March 22, 2024. He remains in federal custody awaiting transfer to a designated federal prison facility.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell stated during sentencing that "these offenses are serious, and the Court takes them seriously."
The investigation involved HSI and the Boone Police Department with Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Cervantes from Charlotte prosecuting.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse online through collaboration between federal, state, and local resources.