Perry County Man Found Guilty on Twelve Counts of Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

LITTLE ROCK-A Houston, Arkansas, man was convicted by a federal jury on 12 counts of production of child sexual abuse material. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the guilty verdict which was handed down today.

James Johnson, 75, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 7, 2023, and charged with 12 counts of production of child sexual abuse material. The jury trial began on July 14, 2025, before United States District Judge Brian S. Miller. After two days of testimony, the jury deliberated approximately 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict on all 12 counts for which Johnson had been indicted.

The evidence at trial revealed that on September 28, 2022, special agents from the Arkansas State Police met with an employee of the Perryville Elementary School regarding a letter that a minor child victim, who was approximately 8-9 years old, wrote to her mother while she was at school containing concerning allegations about Johnson.

The minor child victim and her younger sibling lived next to Johnson's home and were in his care during the abuse. The older minor child victim was interviewed and stated that Johnson watched pornography with the two victims present. The older minor victim stated both her and the younger minor victim sat on Johnson's lap and he would put his hand down the back of their pants and touch their private areas.

On September 28, 2022, a search warrant was executed on Johnson's residence. Law enforcement officers located and seized multiple digital items of evidence, specifically Johnson's Samsung Galaxy cell phone. A review of Johnson's phone revealed 12 images of the younger minor victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Johnson faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and not more than 30 years for each count. There is no parole in the federal system.

The investigation was conducted by the Arkansas State Police, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Lauren Eldridge.

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Additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

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