A St. Tammany Parish man who managed a global child pornography ring that targeted hundreds of young boys pleaded guilty Thursday in New Orleans to federal charges requiring he spend at least two decades behind bars.
The ringleader, Jonathan S. Johnson, who lived outside Abita Springs before his arrest last year, admitted running a “child exploitation enterprise.” He is to be sentenced July 17 by U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown.
Johnson, 27, organized the illicit websites, which grew to attract more than 27,000 members and featured a vast collection of pornographic videos of prepubescent boys, many of whom allegedly were tricked into creating sexually explicit footage via webcam.