Gainesville man indicted on federal child pornography charges

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert Lee Johnson, III., 39, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with six counts of production of child pornography. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.

Johnson, III. appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry in Gainesville, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for April 8, 2026, at 8:30 am before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville, Florida.

If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, on each count.

Original arrest

Johnson was originally arrested on September 17, 2025, after the victim came forward and reported that she was in a sexual relationship with Johnson for four years, starting when she was 14. The investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office found that the victim and Johnson engaged in sexual intercourse at his residence and at various hotels, and Johnson made videos on at least two occasions.

State charges of sexual battery of a minor, lewd and lascivious battery of a minor, and directing the sexual performance of a child were filed, along with a sworn complaint alleging 20 additional charges related to sexual battery and child pornography. The federal indictment is for six counts of production of child pornography.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.