ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and commission of a sex offense by an individual required to register as a sex offender.
“Johnny Duran’s crimes are abhorrent, and today’s sentence ensures that he cannot continue to prey on children,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA). “Thanks to the hard work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, this child predator has been removed from our communities. EDVA will pursue offenders with the full force of federal law.”
“As part of a Northern Virginia-Washington, DC Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation, the U.S. Secret Service remains committed to investigating crimes that exploit innocent children,” said William Mancino, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division. “We are grateful for all those involved in this case and for the work that was done to ensure a dangerous predator was brought to justice.”
According to court documents, on April 23, 2025, Johnny Daniel Duran, 47, of Hagerstown, used a social media messaging app to contact another user whom he believed to be a 14-year-old boy in Loudoun County. Duran, a convicted sex offender on federal probation, immediately began discussing sexual topics with the other user, who in reality was an undercover law enforcement officer. The sexual conversations continued the following night, and after learning that the user’s mother would be working that night, Duran arranged to meet him at a Taco Bell for sex. Duran described the sexual activities in which he expected to engage and repeatedly confirmed that he knew the user was 14 years old.
When Duran arrived at the Taco Bell, law enforcement approached him and found him in possession of multiple cellphones, including a secret phone that was unknown to the U.S. Probation Office and still displayed the messages between the defendant and the other user. The phone was found to contain approximately 1,700 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including infants and toddlers. Duran also brought with him a backpack containing multiple sex toys, lubricant, and a whip.
At the time he committed this offense, Duran was required to register as a sex offender according to federal law. Duran was previously convicted in 2006 in Maryland state court for distribution of child pornography. In 2013, he was convicted in the District of Maryland for possession of child sexual abuse material.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office provided substantial assistance in the investigation of this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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 www.justice.gov/psc .
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-226.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Virginia — U.S. Department of Justice press release.