Gainesville Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyArticle

Gainesville, Florida – Robert Lee Johnson, III, 39, of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of production of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This defendant preyed upon and sexually exploited a minor child, 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.

Keeping disgusting predators, like this defendant, locked away is key to keeping our kids safe.” Court documents reflect that the defendant met the minor victim in 2020, when the victim was 14 and the defendant was 33. The defendant recorded sexual acts with the minor victim and then threatened to post the videos of the victim online. A search warrant revealed the defendant’s phone contained the sexually explicit videos of his exploitation of the minor victim.For each count, Johnson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to 30 years imprisonment. Johnson will be required to register as a sex offender.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 1, 2026, at 11:30 am, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.The case involved a joint investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie Utt. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S.

District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.