Former CNN producer John Griffin has been sentenced to 19 years in prison with another 15 years under supervised release for luring a nine-year-old into sexual acts.
The sentencing of John Griffin came on Tuesday at a U.S. District Court hearing in Vermont after he previously pleaded guilty in December of last year to “using interstate commerce to entice and coerce the girl to engage in sexual activity at his Vermont ski house,” according to the Associated Press (AP). He had initially pleaded not guilty in 2021.
“As part of the 2022 plea deal, the government dropped two remaining counts of enticement of a minor against Griffin,” then 45 years old, noted the AP. “According to the plea deal, Griffin met a woman on a website during the summer of 2020 and persuaded the woman to bring her daughter to his Ludlow, Vermont, ski home for sexual activity.”
“Griffin paid the woman and girl to fly from Nevada to Boston, picked them up and drove them to his Vermont home where the girl said Griffin sexually assaulted her, court records say,” the AP added.
Prosecutors also argued how Griffin would use Google Hangouts to discuss with parents of underage girls about his ideas, reportedly saying a “woman is a woman regardless of her age.” He also said that women should be sexually submissive to men and advised parents to train their daughters to be that way.
Griffin worked at CNN for eight years and helped to produce the show New Day. He was immediately fired upon his arrest.
“We take the charges against Mr. Griffin incredibly seriously,” a CNN spokesperson said at the time. “We only learned of his arrest this afternoon and have suspended him pending investigation.”
The nine-year-old victim’s mother was also arrested and has been charged, though the status of her case remains unknown at the time.
“You make me sad and angry,” the victim told Griffin during Tuesday’s hearing. “I’ll never trust anyone again.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.