AUBURN – It has been nearly two decades since Michael Johnson began luring young girls to his apartment where he made them feel like they were special.

He asked them to call him the Easter Bunny. Then he “treated” them to alcohol, drugs and their first sexual experiences.

On Friday morning, 18 years after his first reported rape, the once well-liked Little League coach and camp counselor was sentenced to eight years in prison for what he did in the 1980s and continued to do for years later.

Three of his oldest victims – now in their 20s and 30s – sat in the front row of the courtroom and waited their turn to tell Justice Ellen Gorman how Johnson, now 39, damaged their lives.

The women met Johnson while he was running a youth leadership group at the YMCA in Auburn. The purpose of the group was to foster confidence.

In the years after becoming members of Johnson’s special group, one of the women tried to commit suicide and another had nightmares about people trying to set her on fire. They all struggled with alcohol and drug problems, and they all need counseling to learn how to trust.

“My self-worth became nothing,” one victim said. “I just felt so dirty, so violated. I hated everyone and myself.”

“I was 13,” said another, “still very much a child.”

I’m sorry’

A frail man, Johnson sat straight up and stared at each woman as she read her statement.

He had been out on bail since he was charged in December 2003 for the rapes in the 1980s. Those charges were the first of many.

A police investigation revealed that Johnson was running an exotic dancing service, paying young girls to have sex with him and distributing child pornography. In total, he was indicted on 33 charges stemming from incidents in 1986 through 2003.

Last November, he pleaded guilty to 10 of those charges.

“I alone am responsible for us being here,” Johnson said Friday before being taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs. “I’m sorry for all of the pain I’ve caused.”

He told the court that he has been in counseling and he has learned many things about himself, including that he has bipolar disorder.

“My sincere regret is that I didn’t begin learning those things 20 years ago,” he said.

Another nine years

One of the women was in college when she heard rumors that Johnson was still abusing young girls. She contacted another victim, and they both filed reports with the Auburn Police Department in 1993.

At the time, a misinformed detective told them that the laws had recently changed and their statute of limitations had run out.

Another nine years went by.

The women returned to police in December 2002 after hearing that Johnson was running an exotic dance business at his home in Poland.

In addition to finding pornographic files on Johnson’s computers with titles such as “Schoolgirl Pre-teen,” “13-year-old baby-sitter,” “Small Play Child Porn,” and “Amateur Web Cam Strip in Pajamas,” police found out that he was attracting young women by advertising for exotic dancers.

Two of the girls interested in dancing for him were 15 and 16. They both told police that Johnson gave them marijuana and alcohol, then had sex with them. The 15-year-old said he also gave her $100.

No action

According to Assistant District Attorney Deborah Potter Cashman, who prosecuted the case for the state, the real number of victims is unknown.

Part of the reason she agreed to offer Johnson a plea deal and to settle for eight years in prison is because she knew that going to trial would be a gamble, given the passage of time and the fact that many victims couldn’t be found or didn’t want to get involved.

In addition to blaming Johnson, the three victims who did come forward said they also place some responsibility on the community. They believe many people were suspicious of Johnson but never said anything.

“Many people always thought something funny was going on, but no one took action,” one victim said. “I am glad I helped to break the silence.”

All three victims said they no longer feel any guilt or shame about what happened to them. One even told Johnson that she has learned to forgive him.

“It is never too late to change, to fight the good fight,” she said, looking straight at him. “I want you to know that I forgive you and that as long as I’m alive I will pray for you.”