A convicted child molester, who was one of 82 people arrested last year in a multistate child exploitation sting, will spend 10 years in federal prison, authorities said Friday.
Claude Martin Johnson IV, 22, of Augusta, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, according to a news release.
Johnson was arrested last May following a monthslong child exploitation operation that netted scores of arrests across eight Southern states, including 31 people in Georgia.
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The investigation, dubbed “Operation Southern Impact III,” targeted those who possessed and distributed child pornography as well as those accused of exploiting children on the internet, a GBI spokeswoman said.
The majority of the arrests in Georgia involved the possession or distribution of child porn, including material containing the violent sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, authorities said.
Those arrested in the sting included a day care administrator, a youth group leader, a firefighter, a former high school band director and a military veteran, as well as a clerk working for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
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At the time, Johnson was already serving a seven-year probation sentence stemming from a child molestation conviction in 2015, federal prosecutors said.
He was arrested after officers from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision searched his home and found pornographic images involving children on two of his cellphones.
“This sentence should send a clear message to anyone who would try to take advantage of innocent children,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Johnson’s 10 years in prison will give him plenty of time to think about his unacceptable behavior. But more importantly, while in prison, he won't be able to do harm to any more children.”
In addition to his 10-year prison sentence, Johnson is required to pay $3,000 in restitution to one victim. He must also serve 20 years on supervised release once he gets out.
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