John Griffin, a former producer for CNN, has plead guilty to child sex charge for sexually assaulting a little girl to his home in Ludlow, Vermont before carrying out his offense.
On Monday, the 45-year-old man plead guilty in federal court “to using interstate commerce for the enticement of a minor as part of a plea deal in which the two remaining counts of enticement of a minor he was initially charged with last year were dropped,” as stated by the New York Post.
The man, who is originally from Stamford, Connecticut, met a woman online and talked her into coming to his Vermont home with her 9-year-old daughter. Once they arrived, he proceeded to engage in sexual activity with the girl.
According to reports, he lured the mother and daughter to his home with the intention of “training” the girl to be sexually submissive, according to a report from December 2021.
Griffin allegedly paid the mother $3,000 in July 2020 to meet him in Boston so he could transport her and her child to his home in Vermont. He reportedly told the girl when they arrived at his house to engage in unlawful sex acts.
The child’s mother, Heather Carriker was also arrested and she is now facing charges including child abuse and child sex assault.
The man was also accused of bragging about luring other young girls to his residence, according to the Post article.
“In April 2020, he suggested to the mother of a 14-year-old girl that she and her daughter do a ‘virtual training session’ over video chat in which he would instruct the pair to undress and touch one another at his direction,” the report continued.
The father of three was arrested by authorities on December 10, 2021 and pleaded not guilty to charges of enticement of a minor.
We take the charges against Mr. Griffin incredibly seriously,” a CNN spokesperson said after his arrest, adding, “We only learned of his arrest this afternoon and have suspended him pending investigation.”
The network later fired him.
He will be sentenced in March and faces a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment. The court has not yet decided upon the amount, but he is required to pay “full restitution” to the victims involved in the case.
“Griffin also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and has agreed to forfeit his Tesla and to donate half of the proceeds from the sale of his Vermont ski home and a Mercedes into the court registry,” the Post article read, noting it was possible he may have to register as a sex offender.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI arrested Griffin 18 months after learning of his “depraved proclivities,” as per a December 2021 report.
According to a report, in January Griffin’s wife filed for divorce and was seeking full custody of their children, alimony, as well as the $4.5 million mansion they own in Norwalk, Connecticut.