HAMMOND, Ind. — A federal jury convicted Lorenzo Johnson, 33, of Hammond, for conspiring on Facebook with multiple women to send him sexually explicit pictures of infants and young children.
Johnson used a fake Facebook account to identify women who were having financial difficulties and had access to children. He would then offer the women money to take sexually explicit photos.
“My office will not tolerate crimes against children, and we will continue to partner with federal, state and local agencies to investigate and prosecute individuals whose criminal conduct harms and exploits such vulnerable victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay for the Northern District of Indiana.
Johnson, who is a registered sex offender, was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to produce child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“This verdict sends a strong message that people who sexually abuse young and helpless children — and those who memorialize and disseminate that abuse — will be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to utilizing its resources to track down these offenders and rescue victims of pernicious sexual exploitation.”
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced in December and faces a minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 180 years.
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