On Tuesday, former D.C. resident Daniel Gregory Johnston was sentenced to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of possessing child pornography.
In 2018, Johnston, 43, was arrested after law enforcement obtained a search warrant to inspect his laptop and other digital devices. Digital forensics found evidence of him downloading sexually abusive images and videos of children, some as young as 5 years old. It was also determined that Johnston had used file-sharing software to both collect and distribute the images.
Both Johnston’s plea and sentencing took place Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, presided by Judge James E. Boasberg. After completing his prison term, Johnston will also be placed on six years of supervised release and required to register on the national sex offender database.
Johnston’s case was investigated and brought before the courts as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative from the Department of Justice that combines federal, state and local law enforcement resources to find, apprehend and convict individuals who exploit children. The program is also used to identify and rescue minor victims of abuse.
