DACULA, GA — A school-issued laptop helped investigators uncover a sexual exploitation case that led to a 20-year federal prison sentence for a Dacula man.
The FBI was alerted after a high school student from out of state turned in her school-issued computer. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg says the laptop contained sexually explicit images involving minors, prompting the investigation into 36-year-old Johann Rainer Nix.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Nix used popular social media apps to groom multiple girls and persuade them to send explicit photos and videos of themselves. Hertzberg says the victims included girls in Georgia and Missouri, all of whom were either 16 years old or younger.
“Images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct and then sending that to him here in Georgia,” Hertzberg said, adding that the case highlights the importance of parents monitoring their children’s social media use.
Nix was sentenced after entering a guilty plea. He will serve 20 years in federal prison and will remain on supervised release for life following his release.
WSB Radio’s Bill Caiaccio contributed to this story.
