May 3, 11

NEWS / Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing a Minor on the Grounds of KAFB

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Clifton Eugene Johnson, 66, entered a guilty plea to an abusive sexual contact charge under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office. At sentencing, Johnson faces a term of imprisonment for any term of years to life and a maximum $250,000 fine. Johnson also will be required to register as a sex offender and to pay restitution to his victim as ordered by the court. United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Johnson, a resident of Whitesboro, Oklahoma, has been in federal custody since his arrest on March 25, 2010, and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Johnson initially was charged in a criminal complaint with sexually abusing his step-granddaughter, who had attained the age of 12 but was under the age of 16, on the grounds of Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) on March 24, 2010. On March 16, 2011, a grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Johnson with (1) aggravated sexual abuse, and (2) abusive sexual contact. This morning, Johnson pleaded guilty to count two of the indictment. Under the terms of his plea agreement, count one of the indictment will be dismissed after Johnson is sentenced.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, during a family vacation in Albuquerque, Johnson and his wife were staying in a recreational vehicle (RV) in the FamCamp RV lot on KAFB while the child’s family was staying in KAFB temporary housing. The child allegedly requested and received permission to spend the night in her grandparents’ RV on the night of March 23, 2010. Johnson sexually assaulted the child the next morning after his wife left the RV to join the rest of the family in the temporary housing unit. In his plea agreement, Johnson admitted forcibly touching the child’s breasts for the purpose of gratifying his sexual desire.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from Kirtland Air Force Base Office of Special Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle T. Nayback.

http://www.fbi.gov/albuquerque/press-releases/2011/oklahoma-man-pleads-guilty-to-sexually-abusing-a-minor-on-the-grounds-of-kafb