A disturbing story out of Florida where a man was arrested for pimping out a 17-year-old and living off the earnings while volunteering as a youth pastor and counselor at a church. NBC Miami reports:
A youth pastor and counselor appeared before a judge in bond court, charged with one count of living off the earnings of a teenager who worked as a prostitute.
According to a complaint affidavit, Stephen Johnson, 40, met the alleged victim on a social media app when she was 12 years old and selling nude content online.
Investigators say the girl met someone on the app who she thought was a woman who offered to help her sell more nude content, but that woman was really Johnson.
NBC reports that the girl met Stephen Johnson while selling nudes online and he helped facilitate her illicit business. They report that he posed as a woman, and after years of selling child pornography, he started pimping her out.
According to the complaint, the acts continued until the alleged victim was 17 and flew to Birmingham, Alabama, where the suspect allegedly posted her on escort ads and directed her to engage in commercial sex acts for money.
Johnson’s bond was set at $500000.
His ties to an undisclosed church are perhaps overemphasized as there is no established connection between this girl and the church, and it’s unclear how many hours he volunteered on a regular basis. Although, it seems as though warning signs were ignored.
