Man serving life sentence in state court gets 48 years in federal prison for sex crimes

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Brent Richard Johnson, 52, received a 48-year federal sentence for child sex crimes.
Johnson was convicted in state and federal court for filming himself sexually abusing a child.
Johnson's federal sentence will run concurrent with his state 45-years-to-life sentence in Utah.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Cedar Hills man already sentenced to at least 45 years in prison in state court for child sex crimes has now been sentenced in federal court to another 48 years behind bars.

Brent Richard Johnson, 52, was convicted by a federal jury in August for the production and possession of child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced on Jan. 12 to 30 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material and a consecutive 18 years for the possession charge.

This prison term will run concurrent with his state prison sentence, but the judge recommended that he serve his time in federal rather than state custody. If he is still alive when his term ends, he will be placed on probation for life, court documents show.

For the state charges, Johnson was convicted by a 4th District Court jury on Oct. 23 of three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, first-degree felonies, and sentenced to three consecutive terms of 15 years to life in prison.

The investigation into Johnson began in January 2024, when a girl reported that a USB charging wall plug in the restroom at 10024 N. Oak Road West in Cedar Hills had a "camera-like lens" and an SD card slot. When the girl tried to remove it, Johnson would yell at her to leave it alone, court documents state.

In April 2024, police executed a search warrant at the address, where they seized multiple devices, located the hidden camera in the bathroom and reported discovering child sexual abuse material. Police said they found three videos of Johnson in 2013 where he was recording himself sexually abusing a 10-year-old child while the girl was sleeping.

Johnson was charged in state court with object rape of a child, three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a child, all first-degree felonies. His charges were amended, however, in October 2024, to just three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

A month later, he was indicted for the federal charges. The jury in his state trial determined that Johnson was proven to be in a position of special trust with the victim when the crime occurred.

"This 48-year sentence justly reflects the horrific harm that Johnson caused to the 10-year-old victim that he repeatedly sexually abused," said U.S. Attorney for Utah Melissa Holyoak. "There is no greater priority for my office and the Department of Justice than protecting innocent children from predators like Mr. Johnson."

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