The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN man who sexually molested an 11-year-old girl in his care while living illegally in the US was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison last week.

Rian Wayne Johnson, 38, pled guilty to sexual exploitation of children as part of a plea deal.

In sentencing him, US District Judge Elizabeth Hanes also ordered Johnson to undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment and to participate in educational or vocational programmes while incarcerated.

Johnson had asked the court to impose the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, a position US prosecutors say was “far below the guideline range of 30 years to life imprisonment.”

The sentence follows his arrest last July after his former girlfriend reported the abuse to Newport News Police Department in Virginia.

The complainant reportedly discovered photos of the child, identified as Jane Doe, 1,  at their Virginia home after becoming suspicious that Johnson was cheating.

She said the pair met five months before moving in together with the 11-year-old girl, who was not Johnson's biological child.

According to the complainant, Johnson told her he had known the girl's mother since the child was two-years-old.

Police later searched the home, seizing five electronic devices and photographing the residence as part of their investigation.

They said numerous videos and pictures of the minor were found, including one showing the defendant masturbating while the child’s breasts are exposed.

The complainant also reported watching a video where Jane Doe 1 is giving oral sex to the defendant. The woman confirmed the penis in the video belonged to Johnson.

US authorities say Johnson, when questioned, admitted that the videos were of him and the child and “that he knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor, Jane Doe 1, who had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in sexually explicit conduct…”

He claimed the events happened between May 30 to July 15 last year in Eastern Virginia and elsewhere.

Before sentencing, Johnson asked the court to impose the mandatory minimum sentence, citing his history of abuse as well as struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues.

He further argued that his age made him less likely to reoffend based on age-related crime statistics.

He also contended that the federal sentencing guidelines were flawed argued that he, as a non-US citizen, would face additional punishment beyond those imposed on American citizens.

However, US prosecutors rejected that argument, calling the recommended sentence “wholly unreasonable” and that if fails to reflect the seriousness of the crime and send a strong message to the public.

As a result, Johnson was sentenced to 27 years behind bars, with credit for the time already served. He will also serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his prison release.