Texas child sex predator sentenced in El Paso to life plus 300 years in prison
A convicted child sexual predator on Wednesday was sentenced to life plus 300 years in federal prison for a horrific reign of child exploitation, molestation and pornography stretching from the Texas Panhandle to El Paso.
Johnny George Gonzalez, 35, of Stratford, Texas, was convicted of filming himself sexually abusing at least six children — some as young as 4 years old — on videos that he shared online with other pedophiles on the darknet and via email, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said.
Gonzalez also admitted to secretly recording young boys and girls inappropriately in stores across El Paso, where he was residing when he was arrested by FBI agents on Sept. 9, 2021, prosecutors said.
Federal court:Former Horizon High School teacher gets life in online teen sex case
In federal court in Downtown El Paso, U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo sentenced Gonzalez to life in prison plus an added 300 years to run consecutively after life. On May 25, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and 10 counts of production of child pornography.
"For eight years, Gonzalez documented his depraved sexual abuse through photographs and videos, which he then shared with pedophiles around the world," U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff said in a statement.
"The heinous nature of his conduct will digitally live forever and continue to victimize these children," Hoff said. "While this sentence will not repair their pain and damage, it will ensure that he will never again have the opportunity to prey upon children."
Darknet investigation starts in Canada
The investigation began in Canada when Ontario Provincial Police encountered Gonzalez in a darknet forum where members exchanged videos and photos of child sexual abuse material, authorities said. Gonzalez allegedly shared links to digital files containing "thousands of images of child pornography and child erotica."
More:Ex-Fort Bliss soldier convicted of photographing toddler in child porn case gets prison
The case was referred to the FBI, which served a search warrant at Gonzalez's home in El Paso, where agents seized more than 65 electronic devices, including desk computers, laptops, tablets, hard drives, cellphones and thumb drives.
"To date, approximately one million images and videos constituting child pornography and child erotica have been found on Gonzalez’s devices," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news statement.
Child sexual exploitation went on for years
Federal prosecutors said Gonzalez abused the trust of friends and neighbors in a tight-knit community. Stratford is a small town of about 2,000 people located north of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.
Gonzalez confessed to filming pornographic videos sexually exploiting at least six children, ranging in age from 4 to 10 years old, beginning as early as 2014, according to court documents. Documents don't specify in what city the filming occurred and how Gonzalez had access to the children.
More:El Paso school board moves to fire teacher accused of defending pedophiles in class
Prosecutors said that Gonzalez also admitted to traveling from El Paso through New Mexico to Stratford intending to have sex with a child in July 2021. Gonzalez has been jailed since his arrest by the FBI on Sept. 9, 2021.
"Protecting children from dangerous child predators is a priority for the FBI. The crimes committed by these offenders cause incalculable damage to their young innocent victims," said Jeffrey R. Downey, special agent in charge of the FBI in El Paso. FBI agents out of Amarillo assisted in the investigation.
This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a national effort to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse that the U.S. Department of Justice launched in 2006.
More:Operation April Fools: El Paso man gets 10 years in teen online sexual enticement case
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas child sex predator who filmed kids gets life plus 300 years
