Man Gets 683-Year Sentence for Sexual Assault, Other Crimes

A man in Baltimore was sentenced to 683 years in prison by a judge after he was convicted of sexual assault and pled guilty to more than a dozen armed robberies and drug offenses, New York Daily News reported.

Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn brought down the unusual sentence against 26-year-old Anthony Johnson, who was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint.

Johnson then entered an "open plea" to the rest of the counts against him, which included a number of armed robberies he committed against women. The special type of plea gave the court power to sentence Johnson without a binding agreement in place.

"Anthony Johnson was a menace to society," said Assistant State's Attorney Richard Gibson. "He sexually assaulted an underage young lady, robbed 15 victims, and then conspired to frame an innocent person for his violent actions. ... We are grateful that the judge sentenced him appropriately for his heinous conduct and we obtained justice for our victims."

The sexual assault occurred in June of 2016 in an alley near the back of an elementary school. The girl said she was taking a shortcut when a man pulled a gun and told her to be quiet, prosecutors said.

Her attacker asked her if she wanted to die and if she would have sex with him before assaulting her at gunpoint.

Further investigation into a jail call revealed a plot to help frame an innocent man for Johnson's crimes. An accomplice also helped Johnson complete the string of robberies.

Johnson was sentenced to life, with all but 50 years suspended for the sexual assault. An additional 633 years was added for for the open charges related to the robberies and drug offenses.

Defense attorney Joshua Insley said he's filed an appeal on the sentence, but hasn't commented further.