Ex-CNN producer John Griffin pleads guilty to child sex crime

WARNING: SOME DETAILS FROM INDICTMENT MAY BE DISTURBING

John Griffin, a former senior producer for CNN who was accused of child sex crimes, pleaded guilty in federal court after being charged a year ago, according to the Associated Press.

The federal government dropped two of the three charges against Griffin as part of the agreement. According to the AP, he "must pay full restitution to the victims, an amount which will be determined by the court" and "has agreed to forfeit a Tesla vehicle, and electronic items and to donate half of the proceeds from the sale of his Vermont home and the upcoming sale of a Mercedes vehicle into the court registry."

Griffin, 45, faces a minium of 10 years to life in prison and a fine up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for March 2023. 

A federal indictment accused the Stamford, Connecticut, resident of coercing parents to allow their minor daughters as young as seven years old to engage in sexual activity in his Vermont ski home. 

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The CNN veteran was initially charged by a grand jury in Vermont "with three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity."

The U.S. Attorney's office in Vermont wrote in a statement last December that Griffin "sought to persuade parents to allow him to train their daughters to be sexually submissive." 

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"Griffin later transferred over $3,000 to the mother for plane tickets so the mother and her 9-year-old daughter could fly from Nevada to Boston’s Logan airport. The mother and child flew to Boston in July of 2020, where Griffin picked them up in his Tesla and drove them to his Ludlow house. At the house, the daughter was directed to engage in, and did engage in, unlawful sexual activity," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Vermont alleged. 

According to the unsealed indictment, Griffin stated he believes there is a "wanton whore" at "the core of any" female and that "a woman is a woman regardless of her age," according to messages included in the indictment. 

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Griffin sent text messages to a mother of two daughters, ages 9 and 13, which stated, "One of the big lies of this society is that women are delicate innocent angels and they are in actuality, naturally, the dirtiest sluts possible, in EVERY metric."

The CNN producer also allegedly texted the mother, "When handled appropriately, a woman is a woman regardless of her age" and urged the mother to make sure her 13-year-old daughter was "trained properly."

The indictment indicated he had "sexually trained girls as young as 7 years old" and advised a mother that her 14-year-old daughter "would be a good candidate for such training." He allegedly proposed that training would begin on a video chat where he "planned to instruct the 14-year-old and her mother to remove their clothing and touch each other" and eventually declared in-person meetings would include "spanking" and "c--k worship."

Griffin's attorney declined to comment. 

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Griffin was a producer for CNN's now-canceled morning program "New Day." He had worked at the network for eight years. CNN fired him shortly after his arrest. 

The ex-CNN producer was previously slapped with a $15 million civil lawsuit by a 9-year-old "Jane Doe."

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.