A Utah County man was 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, Utah, was indicted on November 20, 2024, on charges of production and possession of child pornography.
Evidence presented at trial showed that between August and November 2013, Johnson used his iPhone to record himself abusing the minor while she was asleep. Law enforcement discovered the videos in 2024 during a search of Johnson’s residence. The files were found on an iPhone backup stored on his computer. Investigators also located 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 for the District of Utah announced the verdict.
The investigation involved 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.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse using federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
“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,” according to information about Project Safe Childhood available at Justice.gov/PSC.
