A federal jury has convicted James Johnson, a 75-year-old man from Houston, Arkansas, on 12 counts of producing child sexual abuse material. The verdict was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 7, 2023. His trial began on July 14, 2025, under United States District Judge Brian S. Miller. After two days of testimony, the jury took approximately 90 minutes to reach a guilty verdict on all charges.
The case came to light when special agents from the Arkansas State Police were informed about a letter written by a minor child victim to her mother at Perryville Elementary School. The letter contained serious allegations against Johnson.
The investigation revealed that the victims lived next door to Johnson and were in his care during the time of abuse. The older victim reported that Johnson watched pornography with them present and engaged in inappropriate touching.
A search warrant executed on September 28, 2022, led law enforcement officers to seize multiple digital items from Johnson’s residence, including his Samsung Galaxy cell phone. A review of the phone uncovered 12 images depicting sexually explicit conduct involving the younger victim.
Johnson now faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison for each count. There is no parole available in the federal system.
The Arkansas State Police conducted the investigation, while Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Lauren Eldridge prosecuted the case.
