A Utah County man has been convicted by a federal jury in Salt Lake City for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl and recording the abuse. Brent Richard Johnson, 51, of Cedar Hills, was indicted on November 20, 2024, on charges of production and possession of child pornography.
Court documents and trial evidence showed that between August and November 2013, Johnson used his iPhone to record himself abusing the minor while she was asleep. In 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence and found videos documenting the abuse on an iPhone backup stored on his computer. Officers also discovered a USB charging box disguised as a camera in a bathroom.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9, 2026, before U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson, Jr., at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City.
"Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement."
The investigation was conducted by the American Fork Police Department, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carol A. Dain and Joey L. Branch are prosecuting the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
"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."
