Idaho Falls woman sentenced to over two decades in prison for making and distributing child pornography

IDAHO FALLS –- A 33-year-old woman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday after admitting to making and distributing child pornography.

Rexanna Marie Johnston of Idaho Falls was sentenced to 25 years in prison for producing child pornography, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

She was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the victim directly harmed and another $15,000 to five different victims in the images of child sexual abuse material that she possessed. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Johnston to serve a lifetime of supervised release, and she will be required to register as a sex offender.

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Johnston was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 26 for two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor child, two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. She later accepted a plea agreement, in which she pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child, in exchange for the remaining charges being dismissed.

According to the indictment, Johnston “coerce(d) ‘Minor Victim,’ a minor born in 2022, to engage in sexually explicit conduct,” while two men, Nicholas Glenn Baker and Dale John Hensel, “unlawfully and knowingly” received child pornography from Johnston.

Police reports show on July 17, 2023, an officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department was notified by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children that someone in Idaho Falls had uploaded a video of child sexual abuse material to the internet.

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The video allegedly showed an adult raping a young child who was between the ages of 3 and 5.

On Aug. 1, the officer got a search warrant for a cloud account identified as belonging to Johnston. On the account, the officer found videos taken on Snapchat of a 2-year-old in sexual positions, according to court documents.

Through investigation, officers determined that the child’s mother was incarcerated in Idaho from July 21 to Aug. 2, and that the child was being taken care of by Johnston during at least part of this time.

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Because of this information, officers got a search warrant for Johnston’s home. Johnston and her fiancé were interviewed by police, where they discovered the child was now in the care of another relative at a different residence.

On Sept. 10, Baker was sentenced to 288 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the sexual exploitation of a child. On Oct. 1, 2024, Hensel pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and is awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 12.

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“It is a sad reality that these types of defendants exist in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit in the release. “Fortunately for Idaho, our office’s team of prosecutors and victim advocates does a fantastic job working with dedicated federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement officers to hold these criminals accountable. We will continue to do as much as possible to protect Idaho’s kids and support survivors of abuse.”

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