California Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography and Transferring Obscene Material to a Minor

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Today, Devin Ravine a/k/a "Derek Johnson," age 21, of Riverside, California, pled guilty to receiving child pornography and transferring obscene material to a minor. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that he contacted a 15-year-old child on a dating application, sent her pictures of his erect penis, and then directed her to produce sexual video files. The victim complied, ultimately sending him a sexually explicit video of herself.

The victim came forward to law enforcement after FBI agents visited her school, which is located in the Capital Region, as part of its ongoing efforts to educate students about internet safety and sextortion.

At sentencing on September 4, 2026, which will take place before the Hon. Anne M. Nardacci in Albany, the defendant faces at least 5 years and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a supervised release term of at least 5 years and up to life, forfeiture, and restitution. He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

FAUSA Sarcone stated: "The arrest of this defendant was one of the first of many significant efforts against child exploitation taken by my Office under my leadership. I commend the brave victim for coming forward; the FBI for prioritizing educating our children about the dangers of the internet, and then swiftly investigating and arresting this defendant; and those in my Office who helped shepherd this case from charge to conviction. Let what happened to this defendant serve as a warning: Whether you are in California or in my own backyard, if you exploit a child in my District, you will be found, and I will secure justice for your victim."

SAC Tremaroli stated: "The FBI Albany team is incredibly proud of the brave student who came forward after our presentation, and we remain committed to that important outreach. Our children need to know there are dangerous predators like Mr. Ravine out there looking to exploit them, but they also need to know that when they come forward, their FBI will respond with the full force of our agency and its partners to track those predators down and ensure they head to prison just like in this case."

The FBI Albany Field Office is investigating this case with assistance from the FBI Riverside Field Office, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, and the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Rick Belliss and Mikayla Espinosa are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the 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 better 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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