For Immediate Release:
October 6, 2022
For press inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Indictment of Houston County Assistant District Attorney on Ethics Charges
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today the indictment* and arrest of Houston County Assistant District Attorney Mark David Johnson, 53, of Dothan, on multiple ethics charges. Johnson turned himself into the Houston County Sheriff’s Office Thursday without incident and is expected to make bond.
The Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division obtained an indictment of Johnson after a joint investigation conducted with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The indictment charges Johnson with three counts of soliciting anything for the purpose of corruptly influencing official action and three counts of using his official position or office for personal gain. Specifically:
Count 1 charges Johnson with soliciting “a female companion or escort” from a criminal defendant (Witness One) for the purpose of corruptly influencing official action in her criminal case(s);
Count 2 charges Johnson with “soliciting picture(s), or female companionship, or sexual contact” from a criminal defendant (Witness Two) for the purpose of corruptly influencing official action in her criminal case(s);
Count 3 charges Johnson with “soliciting picture(s), or female companionship, or sexual contact” from a criminal defendant (Witness Three) for the purpose of corruptly influencing official action in her criminal case(s);
Count 4 charges Johnson with using his position as an ADA to obtain “a female companion or escort” from Witness One;
Count 5 charges Johnson with using his position as an ADA to obtain “sexual picture(s)” from Witness Two; and
Count 6 charges Johnson with using his position as an ADA to obtain “sexual contact or sexual picture(s)” from Witness Three.
If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment and a $30,000 fine for each of the six counts in the indictment, which are all Class B felonies. No further information about the investigation or the alleged crimes may be released at this time.
Attorney General Marshall thanked the Houston County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance during the investigation of this matter.
* An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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