Serial Sex Offender Sentenced to 48 Years in Prison

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Brent Richard Johnson, 52, of Cedar Hills, Utah, was sentenced to 579 months’ imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release after he produced and possessed a sexually explicit video of a 10-year-old girl.

The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Howard C. Nielson Jr., comes after Johnson was found guilty by a federal jury in August 2025.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between approximately August and November 2013, Johnson used his iPhone to record himself sexually abusing a 10-year-old minor victim while she was sleeping. Years later, the videos were found by law enforcement on a backup of an iPhone on Mr. Johnson’s computer. Separately in a state case, Johnson was convicted of three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sentenced to three terms of 15-years to life in prison, to run consecutively to each other.

“This 48-year sentence justly reflects the horrific harm that Johnson caused to the ten-year old victim that he repeatedly sexually abused,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “There is no greater priority for my office and the Department of Justice than protecting innocent children from predators like Mr. Johnson. I am grateful to our federal and local law enforcement partners for their excellent investigative work and commitment to stopping those who exploit children.”  

“The Utah County Sheriff's Office is grateful to have been involved in this investigation with our state, local, and federal partners,” said Sergeant Ray Ormond of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. “We are especially grateful to the victim in this case for their courage in coming forward and seeking justice against Mr. Johnson.”

"Johnson’s sentencing is a clear indication of the seriousness of his crimes,” said Homeland Security Investigations Denver Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen. “I commend all those who investigated and brought to prosecution this heinous act. HSI agents will never relent when it comes to bringing justice to those who would steal the innocence of children.”

The federal case was investigated jointly by the American Fork Police Department, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorneys Carol A. Dain and Joey L. Blanch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.