A former CNN producer, John Griffin, has been handed a sentence of more than 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of coercing a 9-year-old minor into engaging in sexual acts.

Griffin, who had worked at CNN for eight years, including on the morning show New Day, was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release and pay restitution. The sentencing occurred on Monday (June 19) during a federal court hearing in Vermont.

Prosecutors revealed that Griffin had allegedly utilised messaging platforms such as Kik and Google Hangouts to target parents who would consent to allowing him to “train their minor daughters to be sexually subservient.”

He reportedly went as far as offering to host the mothers and their daughters at a ski house in Ludlow, VT, under the guise of sexual training. As part of a plea agreement, two additional charges against Griffin were dropped and dismissed, according to court records.

The indictment stated that in 2020, Griffin paid for a mother and her 9-year-old daughter from Nevada to travel to Boston. From there, he took them to the ski house, where the child was allegedly instructed to engage in illegal sexual activity, which she unfortunately did.

CNN terminated Griffin’s employment after he was charged in the case in 2021.