Former CNN producer John Griffin was sentenced to 19 years in prison for engaging in child sex abuse, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday.
Griffin, 46, pleaded guilty to enticing a minor into sexual acts. He was sentenced in a US District Court in Vermont and will also face 15 years of supervised release, according to NBC5.
Prosecutors say that Griffin used interstate communication to convince a woman he met online to bring her 9-year-old daughter to his $2.5 million Ludlow ski hideaway, where he sexually assaulted the child. In July 2020, he paid the mother $3,000 to fly from Nevada to Boston, where he picked them up and brought them to his home, where he directed the girl to engage in sexual acts.
The girl’s mother, Heather Carriker, is facing charges of child abuse and child sexual assault as well, but there have been no updates on her case. As part of Griffin’s plea deal, two additional charges of enticing a minor were dropped.
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This sentencing comes after Griffin’s arrest in December 2021 on multiple charges of inviting young girls to his Vermont home for inappropriate activities. According to initial documents, he persuaded women he met online to allow him to “train” their young daughters in sexual subservience, asserting that age was irrelevant. Griffin also attempted to entice underage minors using apps like Kik and Google Hangout.
Despite initially pleading not guilty to all charges, Griffin was terminated from CNN, where he had worked as a senior producer for eight years.
Griffin’s wife, Allyson Griffin, filed for divorce in January 2022 and sought custody of their three children, as well as ownership of their $4.5 million Norwalk mansion.
As part of his plea deal, Griffin is prohibited from having contact with individuals under 18, unless in the presence of an approved adult designated by his probation officer. He is also restricted from areas where minors commonly gather, such as playgrounds, schools, and theme parks, unless authorized by his probation officer.
