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'Now that's disgusting': Internet horrified after former CNN producer John Griffin pleads guilty to child rape

Griffin allegedly persuaded a woman to bring her 9-year-old daughter to his Vermont cabin, where he engaged in sexual activity with the child

STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT: After luring a 9-year-old girl to his Vermont ski chalet for sex, a former CNN producer admitted guilty to child rape on Monday, December 12. In exchange for the dismissal of the two additional counts of enticing a juvenile that he had been charged with earlier this year, John Griffin, 45, entered a guilty plea in federal court to utilize interstate commerce to attract a minor. Griffin, of Stamford, Connecticut, allegedly met a woman online and persuaded her to bring her 9-year-old daughter to his $2.5 million Vermont cabin, where he engaged in sexual activity with the child.

In July 2020, Griffin paid the mother $3,000 to fly from Nevada to Boston, where he picked them up in a Tesla and drove them to his Ludlow, Vermont home, where he instructed the young girl to engage in unlawful sexual activity with him. Griffin then paid the mother another $3,000 to fly from Nevada to Boston. Charges of child maltreatment and child sexual assault were brought against the mother, Heather Carriker, as well and she was also detained.

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Twitter users are outraged and openly vented their anger against Griffin. One of the users wrote, "Disgusting. John Griffin. Now that's disgusting." Another tweeted, "A former CNN television producer John Griffin, 45, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to using interstate commerce to entice and coerce a 9-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity at his Vermont ski house. Griffin paid the woman and girl to fly "Pig"! Another user wrote, "This is the left. Ex-CNN producer John Griffin pleads guilty to a child sex crime."

According to court filings, Griffin attempted to get other young girls to do sex acts for him through their parents. He approached a 14-year-old girl's mother in April 2020. He wanted her and her minor daughter to participate in a "virtual training session" through video chat during which he would give them instructions to undress and touch one another at his direction, as reported by New York Post. Griffin, a father of three, had initially entered a 'not-guilty' plea to three counts of enticing a juvenile after being detained on December 10, 2021. After his arrest, CNN, where he had worked for around eight years, fired him, the network said at the time.

He will be sentenced on March 20 and faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. He also has to provide full restitution to the victims. It will be up to the court to decide how much he has to pay the victims. Griffin has agreed to give up his Tesla and donate half of the proceeds from the sale of both his Vermont ski home and a Mercedes to the court registry. He also risks a fine of up to $250,000, as per reports.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.