Man used Snapchat to engage in sexual ‘predatory deception’ while eliciting male minors to send sexually explicit images

scotty-johnson-1
scotty-johnson-1

An eastern Kentucky man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography.

Scotty Dale Johnson, 51, of Richmond, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 240 months in federal prison. According to Johnson’s plea agreement, he created a Snapchat account where he purported to be a teenage girl, according to prosecutors.

“Using that account, Johnson then ‘friended’ teenage boys, some he knew in real life and some he met online, and engaged in sexual chatting with the boys,” prosecutors said.

One victim was persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced to send sexually explicit images of himself, via Snapchat, believing he was corresponding with a teenage female. The victim became suspicious the account was fraudulent and eventually reported it to law enforcement.

Police eventually obtained a warrant for the Snapchat account and discovered that Johnson was corresponding with over a 1,000 different individuals, including several male minors. Johnson, according to prosecutors, admitted that he attempted to, or did, persuade, entice, or coerce at least eight additional minor victims to produce sexually explicit images.

“This disgraceful conduct involved both predatory deception and sexual exploitation of a minor,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Sadly, this case serves as a stark reminder of the serious risks minors face when online. That means we must all be diligent in protecting them and demonstrating safe online activity. Due to the work of our enforcement partners, fortunately, this case can also serve as a warning to those who engage in this conduct: the consequences will likely be a significant prison sentence.”

Under federal law, Johnson must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com