Evergreen Reporter

A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison for attempted sex trafficking of a child and destruction of evidence. Joshua Johnson, 50, received his sentence on January 24, 2025, following a jury verdict on August 7, 2024, which found him guilty of the charges.

Evidence presented during the trial revealed that in December 2023, Johnson responded to an online advertisement for prostitution. He engaged in text message exchanges with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. Johnson described sexual acts he intended to perform with the minor and traveled to Hiawatha, Iowa, for a meeting. Upon encountering officers there, he attempted to delete data from his cell phone.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence in Cedar Rapids. Johnson will serve a five-year term of supervised release after completing his imprisonment. The federal system does not offer parole.

Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel prosecuted the case. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Hiawatha Police Department.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It coordinates resources across federal, state, and local levels to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.

Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc. For details regarding Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc under "resources."

Court file details are accessible at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl using case number CR 24-38.

Follow updates on X @USAO_NDIA.