Stephen Johnson, who served as a volunteer youth pastor and counselor for 12 years in Alabama, has been charged with living off the earnings of a teen prostitute. Police in Plantation, Florida, where Johnson now lives, arrested the 40-year-old, who is accused of sex trafficking a minor across several states.
Johnson, who was being held in jail on a $500,000 bond, appeared in bond court on Thursday (Oct. 24). A judge ordered him to stay offline and have no contact with minors, including the teenage girl he allegedly trafficked.
Charge: Youth Pastor Stephen Johnson Lived Off Teen Prostitute’s Income
According to court records, Stephen Johnson initially met a 12-year-old girl on a social media app, where she was selling sexually explicit material online. Authorities claim Johnson posed as a woman on that app and then offered the girl assistance for marketing her nude material more effectively. This virtual relationship allegedly lasted for five years.
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When the girl was 17, the complaint alleges, she traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, where Johnson volunteered as a youth pastor for a dozen years, working with kids ages 5 to 18. In Alabama, authorities say, Johnson placed escort ads for the girl and had her engage in sex acts as a prostitute. That continued, police say, when the two moved to south Florida, after the alleged victim was accepted at a college.
Johnson has been charged with one count of living off the earnings of a teen prostitute. According to the complaint affidavit, Johnson took 40% of the girl’s $100,000 earnings as a sex worker.
In court Thursday, prosecutors told the judge, “[Johnson] trafficked a minor in another state, your honor, a 17-year-old.” They allege that the defendant did this across several states, including Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
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Because Stephen Johnson had served in a position of trust among young people, prosecutors argued that he poses a danger to the community. “I don’t think it is safe for females in the community to have him traveling about, not knowing where he is,” they told the judge.
A check into Johnson’s background unearthed an attempted rape and strangulation case from 2019. But he was never convicted in that case.
ChurchLeaders was unable to pinpoint the church where Johnson had served. News reports haven’t indicated that he targeted anyone in his Birmingham youth group.
