Aug 17, 2022
RawNews1st – A former Sand Springs youth group leader has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison
A jury had convicted 49 year old Thomas Johnson in February of attempted coercion and enticement of a boy.
U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said, “Make no mistake, Thomas Johnson’s interaction with this young man was calculated, predatory, and criminal.”
Federal prosecutors say Johnson knew the victim’s family and volunteered as a youth leader at a church and he was known as a mentor to teenage boys, so the victim’s family asked Johnson to mentor their child.
The victim’s mother discovered numerous sexually explicit texts, memes and images sent to her child by Johnson and confronted him.
Then both parents contacted law enforcement and turned their child’s phone over and investigators discovered thousands of messages exchanged between Johnson and the victim, dating back to March 2019.
Prosecutors Johnson groomed the victim, first gaining the victim’s trust and friendship and then regularly encouraged the victim and called the victim a stud, sexy beast, and made sexual references and jokes.
Then the sexualized relationship increasingly involved the exchange of memes and comments with references to sex and Johnson eventually told the victim about several sexual experiences he’d (Johnson) had.
The victim testified at first, he felt the exchange of texts and memes were jokes, but he grew increasingly uncomfortable as the Johnson began routinely making comments about the victim’s physical appearance and saying he was sexually attracted to the victim.
Johnson repeatedly asked for nude photos and suggested sex acts.This is a previous booking photo.
This is now conviction.
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