(Pocatello, ID) – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the outcomes in two separate eastern Idaho cases in which the defendants were sentenced to 25 years and 17.5 years in federal prison, respectively, for sex crimes against minor children.
“It is a sad reality that these types of defendants exist in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “Fortunately for Idaho, our office’s team of prosecutors and victim advocates does a fantastic job working with dedicated federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement officers to hold these criminals accountable. We will continue to do as much as possible to protect Idaho’s kids and support survivors of abuse.”
Rexanna Marie Johnston, 33, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. She was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the victim directly harmed and another $15,000 to five different victims in the images of child sexual abuse material that Johnston possessed.
According to court records, on July 17, 2023, detectives with the Idaho Falls Police Department and the Idaho Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force began an investigation after receiving a report that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to an online file storage account. Detectives determined that the account belonged to Johnston. Detectives obtained and executed a search warrant on Johnston’s residence and electronic devices. Detectives discovered that Johnston had produced images of child sexual abuse material of an infant that was in her custody. Detectives further recovered online chat communications between Johnston and two other individuals, Nicholas Glen Baker, 37 of Twin Falls, and Dale John Hensel, 54 of Rigby. Baker requested the production of specific child sexual abuse material, which Johnston produced and sent to Baker. Hensel also received images of child sexual abuse material from Johnston.
On September 10, 2024, Baker was sentenced to 288 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the sexual exploitation of a child. On October 1, 2024, Hensel pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, and is awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for February 12, 2025.
“HSI agents have no tolerance for the exploitation of children and will work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice,” said Matthew Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge, HSI Seattle. “Child sex abuse is one of the most heinous crimes HSI investigates, given the profound and lasting psychological and physical damage it inflicts on victims, and we hope this sentence bring some closure for the victims. We appreciate our law enforcement partners including the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, ICAC Task Force and the Idaho Falls Police Department along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting the case.”
In a separate case, Jonathan Douglas Mohr, 46, of Ammon, was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Mohr was also ordered to pay $141,500 in restitution to the victims in the images of child sexual abuse material that he distributed and possessed.
According to court records, in September 2023, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Mohr’s residence in Ammon, after a concerned citizen reported they had observed child sexual abuse material on one of Mohr’s electronic devices. During the search warrant, law enforcement recovered a tablet, which contained more than 26,000 images of child sexual abuse material. Communications recovered from the tablet revealed that Mohr was distributing child sexual abuse material to other individuals using the Telegram messaging application.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Johnston to serve a lifetime of supervised release and Mohr to serve ten years of supervised release following their prison sentences. Johnston and Mohr will be required to register as sex offenders as a result of their convictions.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force for their work in both cases and additionally thanked Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls and the Idaho Falls Police Department for their investigation in the Johnston case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Paskett prosecuted the Johnston case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blackadar prosecuted the Mohr case.
These cases were 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. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice, 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.