Child Porn Charges Added To Martinez Man's 'Luring Teen' Case

A Martinez man charged in federal court last year with luring a teenage girl across state lines for sex is now facing new child pornography charges possibly involving more than 300 victims, officials said today.

Blake Robert Johnston, 41, was initially charged in October last year in federal court with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a missing Oregon teenager. He was arrested at his Martinez home on a warrant out of Salem, Oregon accusing him luring a 14-year-old girl through online chat rooms and text messages into traveling to Northern California with him.

• Previous/related:
• Martinez Man Took Daughter Along When He Allegedly Kidnapped Oregon Girl, 14
• Man Allegedly Had ‘Online Relationship’ With Oregon Teen
• Missing Oregon Girl Found in Martinez; Alleged Kidnapper Arrested

The girl, who had been reported missing, was found in bed with Johnston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations officials said at the time.

Following an investigation, federal prosecutors issued a seven-count superseding indictment on Thursday that includes a charge of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; one count of online coercion and sexual exploitation of a second underage female; two counts of production of child pornography relating to two other minor victims; and charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.

The new charges are the result of a search of Johnston’s cell phones, computers and digital storage devices. Investigators have so far identified 31 possible underage victims, three of whom allegedly had physical contact with him, and believe there could be more than 300 other potential victims, worldwide.

Investigators are working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify the victims, but most are not in any databases.

Johnston is thought to have used mobile applications including Kik, Skype, Omegle, ooVoo and Facebook to communicate with his alleged victims and used user names including “sivaston,” “deadleafecho,” “moonage_daydream” and “lethal.loyal.”

Anyone with information on Johnston’s activities or past contacts is urged to contact Homeland Security Investigations or Martinez police, Tatum King, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco, said in a statement today.

“Those leads could be vital to helping us put together the pieces of this puzzle and most important, to ensuring that any underage victims receive the assistance and support they may need,” King said.

Tips can be made by calling 1 (866) DHS-2-ICE or the Martinez police tip line at (925) 372-3457. Johnston’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 7. He has been held in custody without bond since his arrest last year.

--Bay City News

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