Twin Falls Man Found Guilty of Child Exploitation

(KLIX) – A Twin Falls man has been found guilty of sexually exploiting a child, a crime that carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison.

According to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis, a federal jury in Boise returned guilty verdicts on Oct. 18 against 35-year-old Seth Anthony Johnson on charges that he sexually exploited an 8-year-old child by using her to produce sexually explicit images.

Johnson also was found guilty of possessing child pornography and sexually exploiting an 8-year-old girl while required to register as a sex offender, according to the news release.

According to court records, Johnson was arrested on Nov. 29, 2017. At that time, federal agents discovered six images of child pornography on his cell phone. After eight months of investigation, agents identified the minor victim as an eight-year-old girl. Agents also determined that Johnson had produced the images of child pornography with his cell phone. At the time that he did so, Johnson was required to register as a sex offender under federal and state law due to a prior rape conviction.

Davis said the charge of sexual exploitation of a child carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release.