Northern California man receives 30-year sentence for illicit sex act with a minor

OAKLAND, Calif. – A northern California man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and numerous local and international law enforcement agencies.

Blake Robert Johnston, 42, of Martinez, was sentenced Tuesday and ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty Dec. 1, 2015, to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. According to the plea agreement, Johnston admitted flying to Oregon for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a 14-year-old victim. Johnston also admitted that, approximately a week later, he drove to Oregon, picked up the victim and transported her to California, where he engaged in sexual acts with her at his home in Martinez. 

Johnston was indicted by a federal grand jury April 2, 2015. He was charged with traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor; transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; online enticement of a minor; two counts of production of child pornography; possession of child pornography; and distribution of child pornography.

The charges are the result of a probe by HSI’s Cyber Crimes Child Exploitation Group; the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office; the Martinez, California, and Salem, Oregon, police departments; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the Australian Federal Police; the Malaysia Royal Police; the Irish Garda; and numerous law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Maureen Bessette and Christina McCall are prosecuting the case. 

According to the criminal complaint, the investigation began in October 2014 when the mother of the first victim identified in the case called police in Salem, Oregon, to report that her 14-year-old daughter was missing. Based on mobile phone records and the victim’s computer history, Salem police were able to determine the probable location of the victim and the identity of the suspect. Within 24 hours of the victim’s disappearance, Martinez police found her in Johnston’s bed. According to court documents filed in the case, a hard drive seized from Johnston’s bedroom contained approximately 500 folders labeled with different females’ names. The majority of those 500 folders each appeared to contain images and/or videos of child pornography which no law enforcement investigators had previously encountered. 

At the time the government’s sentencing memorandum was filed, investigators had identified 94 minor victims from at least 30 states and six countries whom Johnston enticed into creating child pornography or had sexually exploited online. Investigators confirmed that four minor victims met with Johnston and engaged in illicit sexual activity with him. In Johnston’s communications with underage victims, he encouraged the girls to commit harmful and violent acts, such as cutting themselves, penetrating their bodies with foreign objects, strangulation, and drug abuse.    

“Blake Johnston sexually exploited an untold number of children to satisfy his demented fantasies,” said U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch. “Today he was sentenced to 30 years in prison; a just sentence we can only hope provides some measure of closure to the victims and their families who had to endure Johnston’s torment. This office remains vigilant, ready to prosecute child predators who troll the Internet targeting the most vulnerable among us.” 

During the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White, some of the victims and their parents testified about the impact of Johnston’s actions. One of the victims, who was between 13 and 14 years old at the time of the offenses, told Johnston, “You took away my childhood. You took me away from my family. You killed who I could have been. But I am free now, free to live without fears.” Another minor victim told the judge that, “In November of 2014, when Homeland Security contacted me...when I found out the nature of the situation, I was sick to my stomach. Telling my mother broke her heart because she had no idea whatsoever of what was going on.” Two mothers of victims said they were unaware what was happening with their daughters until HSI special agents showed up at their door. One mother of a teenage victim told the judge that her family and daughter have been dealing with nightmares almost every night.    

In handing down the sentence, Judge White described Johnston’s conduct as “unusually heinous, cruel, degrading and completely inhumane to other individuals, and it is a sad day for our society when people engage in the kind of behavior that the defendant [did].”  Judge White said that Johnston “preyed upon [the child victims’] low self-esteem” and used “extreme cunning, guile, intelligence, strategies, and a lot of thought and a lot of skill.” He added that, in all of his years as a judge, the “court has never seen ... such serious, heinous behavior.” 

Judge White sentenced the defendant to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered him not to have any contact with victims or minors without the permission of his probation officer. Johnston must also register as a sex offender as required by California law. The judge will determine final restitution amounts to be paid to the defendant’s victims June 28. Johnston, who has been detained since his arrest, will immediately begin serving his sentence.

Investigators believe there may be hundreds of additional victims in the case who have not yet been identified. Authorities urge anyone who may have information related to this case to call HSI’s national toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423), or the Martinez Police Department’s tip line at 925–372–3457.