URBANA, Ill. (WAND) – A sexual exploitation suspect is charged with using Facebook to get minors to send him pornographic photos.
Cornell D.A. Johnson, 22, was arraigned Monday in Urbana’s federal court on counts of sexual exploitation and possession of child pornography. An affidavit says he pretended to be a teenage girl on Facebook and convinced children in multiple states to send him “lewd and graphic images”. It says the children were between 4 and 16 years old.
Facebook detected that child pornography had been uploaded and sent cybertip reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The investigation led authorities to identify children in Alabama, Delaware and Ohio. A press release says investigators found Johnson’s email.
There were seven children involved, investigators say, and Johnson is accused of getting them to send him graphic images four times between December of 2018 and January of 2019.
Johnson has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his Feb. 4 arrest.
U.S. Attorney John C. Milhiser’s office says Johnson could face as much as 30 years in prison for each sexual exploitation charge if found guilty. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars. Each charge could mean a fine of as high as $250,000.
The suspect’s trial date is set for April 29.
