Gainesville man arrested for exploiting disabled woman

Staff report

ARCHER, Fla. – Todd Matthew Johnson, 44, of Gainesville, was arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to get a mentally disabled woman to cash a fraudulent check and “borrowing” at least $2,000 from her; he has also been charged with two counts of failure to register as a sexual offender.

The victim is a mentally and physically disabled adult who lives with a family member and is unable to drive but has a job that she enjoys. Her sister contacted the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on January 30 to report that Johnson, a registered sexual offender, befriended the victim about two years ago and recently obtained $2,000-3,000 from the victim.

The victim reportedly had a fraudulent check for $602.57, made out to her from a business in Williston. The business reportedly told a detective that the check was not valid and that it contained incorrect routing and bank account information and the wrong address; they also said Johnson had worked for the business for about a month in 2022.

The victim reportedly said she had met Johnson while “walking through the neighborhood” about two years ago. She said Johnson gave her the check and had driven her to Bronson to try to get it cashed; she said that when she was unable to cash the check, she kept it, and she said she did not know it was fraudulent.

The victim reportedly said she gave Johnson about $3,000 to “get fuel for his truck” and that Johnson has not tried to repay any of it. She said Johnson was in Daytona. She showed the detective text messages between her and Johnson, and the detective reported that on January 13, Johnson asked the victim for money and some personal information and then asked her to cash a check at Amscott on Archer Road.

The detective reported that Johnson is required to notify Alachua County and FDLE if he travels to another jurisdiction, and he reportedly located Johnson’s truck in Daytona for eight days in February.

The detective learned from a family member of Johnson that he had been working in Daytona, but he had not listed any employment on his sexual offender registration.

Post Miranda, Johnson reportedly admitted creating a fraudulent check and asking the victim to cash it for him; he said he was aware of the victim’s disabilities and borrowed money from her. He also reportedly admitted he had been in Daytona and was working for a construction company there.

Johnson has been charged with exploitation of a disabled person to obtain less than $10,000, uttering a false check, and two counts of failure to provide information that is required for sexual offenders.

Johnson has six felony convictions (none violent, two sexual) and three misdemeanor convictions; he has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in May 2024. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $37,500.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.