Walton County resident convicted of possessing child sexual material

ATHENS — A Walton County resident has been convicted by a federal jury of possession of child sexual abuse material resulting from a GBI-led undercover investigation of an online peer-to-peer sharing network.

Johnathan Remsen, 37, of Loganville, was found guilty of possession of child pornography following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge 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,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. “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,” Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Keri Farley said. “Every time an individual like Remsen possesses those images and views them for personal gratification, that child is victimized again and again. The FBI will always make it a priority to protect our most vulnerable assets, our children.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the 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 January 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.