Roanoke Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Sexual Exploitation Material

ROANOKE, Va. - A Roanoke, Virginia man, who used the Kik social media app to send three videos containing child sexual exploitation material to an undercover FBI officer, pled guilty yesterday.

Christopher Allan Johnson, 54, pled guilty today to one count of possessing child sexual exploitation materials involving a prepubescent minor.

"Protecting young people from online predators is a key priority of law enforcement," Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. "This case serves as a warning to all parents - these threats are real, and they are ever-present in today's online world. Please take steps to monitor what your children are doing online and who they are communicating with."

"The FBI Richmond team dedicates countless hours to investigating subjects who seek to harm those who are most vulnerable, because there are few callings higher than protecting our children. May today's guilty plea sends a message to all child predators that we're going to find them and bring them to justice," Ian Kauffman, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Division said today.

According to court documents, on October 10, 2024, after leaving the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, Johnson logged into Kik and joined a public group dedicated to incest. There, an undercover FBI task force officer messaged Johnson. During the conversation, Johnson talked about his sexual fantasies involving children.

The next day, without prompting, Johnson sent the undercover officer three videos depicting children being graphically sexually exploited. At least one of the videos involved a prepubescent minor.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/ .