A Pearl River man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography.

Garald Benson Johnson, 43, admitted to filming himself having sexual intercourse with a minor, according to court documents. Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 16, 2023, and pled guilty on August 29, 2023, to the charge of production of child pornography.

U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Office, made the announcement.

The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted it.

This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.