Spotsylvania man pleads guilty to coercing a child to produce pornographic material

RICHMOND, Va. - A Spotsylvania man pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography.

According to court documents, in July 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Toronto contacted HSI Richmond regarding a Discord account with username "FairyHunter." HSI identified Shane Johnston, 46, as the account user. In August 2023, HSI agents obtained a search warrant for five electronic devices belonging to Johnston. The devices contained 7,453 media files constituting child pornography. A review of Johnston's Discord account revealed a conversation in June 2023 between Johnston and a nine-year-old child during which Johnston induced the child to produce and send to him images of herself engaging in sexual activity.

Johnston is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 13. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Roger L. Harris, Spotsylvania County Sheriff, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea Gibbons is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood 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.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-51.