The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California reports that a former counselor at a private school in Riverside County has pleaded guilty to Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and Placing a Hidden Camera Inside Bathrooms to film boys using the toilet and showers.

34-year-old Matthew Daniel Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography. The plea agreement explains that law enforcement searched Johnson’s home in March 2020 and found videos featuring minor boys engaged in sexual activity.

Authorities say the male victims were under the age of 12 with some being as young as three and five. During the search, Johnson allegedly admitted that he had a hidden pen-shaped recording device in a toilet paper holder inside a school bathroom just across the hall from his office at the La Sierra Academy where he worked as a school counselor.

Law enforcement say they found an external hard drive in Johnson’s office. It allegedly contained more than 100 video files depicting approximately 62 minors created by Johnson’s hidden recording device. Authorities say the device was hidden in a toilet paper roll to capture the genitals of minor boys using the toilet.

Another video shows Johnson adjusting a recording device inside a different bathroom at a Junior High School Bible Camp where he worked as a chaperone of children attending the camp. The video file also captured minor boys using the toilet and shower.

Authorities also say Johnson admitted to using and employing a minor to create a visual depiction of the victim engaging in sexual conduct in January 2020. Sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2025.

Johnson will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 50 years in federal prison.