Walton County Resident Convicted of Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

ATHENS, Ga. – A Walton County resident was convicted by a federal jury late yesterday afternoon of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) resulting from a GBI-led undercover investigation of an online peer-to-peer sharing network.

Johnathan Remsen, 37, of Loganville, Georgia, was found guilty of possession of child pornography on Feb. 1 following a two-day trial that began on Jan. 31 before U.S. District C. Ashley Royal. Remsen faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment to be followed by a maximum supervised release term of life and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Remsen will have to register as a sex offender for life upon release from prison. Sentencing should occur within the next 90 days. There is no parole in the federal system.

“After a lengthy investigation and subsequent trial, Johnathan Remsen is finally being held criminally accountable for willfully downloading hundreds of images and videos of the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, including extremely young children,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Every time a person views child sexual abuse material, they become complicit in the appalling abuse of a child. Our office will push for the federal prosecution of these criminal voyeurs.”

“The victimization of a child doesn’t end when that child’s pornographic images are recorded. Every time an individual like Remsen possesses those images and views them for personal gratification, that child is victimized again and again,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will always make it a priority to protect our most vulnerable assets, our children.”

“Federal prosecution sends a clear message that downloading and viewing child sexual abuse material is a serious crime. The GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit investigates numerous cases just like this one and will not slow down until these perpetrators are held accountable.  We’ll continue to work with strong federal partners, like the United States Attorney’s Office, to seek justice for these vulnerable victims,” said GBI Director Mike Register.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, GBI conducted an undercover investigation on the peer-to-peer sharing network BitTorrent in July 2017. An undercover agent received 29 videos containing CSAM from an IP address traced back to a Walton County residence where Remsen resided. Law enforcement searched the residence in Jan. 2018, recovering a computer tower belonging to Remsen that contained 2,357 picture files and 196 video files of suspected CSAM. Remsen was interviewed by law enforcement and made statements indicating that he “accidentally” downloaded CSAM, and then later stated that it was not an accident. He further admitted that he looked at CSAM, but he never meant to download or keep it. The explicit photos and videos contained child sexual abuse material of children 12 years old and younger.

The case was investigated by the GBI and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim and Criminal Chief Leah McEwen are prosecuting the case.