John Griffin, a 44-year-old who worked as a producer for CNN for several years, was arrested Friday and charged with using a facility of interstate commerce to sexually abuse minors.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, Griffin attempted to persuade parents of young girls to “allow him to train their daughters to be sexually submissive,” using Kik and Google Hangout; as he believed “a woman is a woman regardless of her age.”
In June of 2020, he reportedly told the mother of two underage girls, ages 9 and 13, that the mother should make sure her eldest was “trained properly,” eventually flying them out from Nevada to Boston via $3,000 he transferred over. A month later, he reportedly brought them to his Ludlow house and the 9-year-old engaged “unlawful sexual activity.”
Earlier in April of that year, he’s alleged to have tried to engage in a “virtual training session” with a minor, and proposed that a 14-year-old and her mother should touch each other over video chat. In June, he proposed that a mother and her 16-year-old take a “little mother-daughter trip” to his home for sexual training, according to the release.
Facing three counts, Griffin could see a minimum of 10 years per count and a maximum sentence of life behind bars if found guilty.
“The charges against Mr. Griffin are deeply disturbing,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement Saturday. “We only learned of his arrest yesterday afternoon and have suspended him pending investigation.
CNN reports that a Thursday indictment shared that Griffin paid for a profile on a “BDSM dating, Fetish, and Kink Site” and was seeking women who were “sexually ‘submissive’ and ‘open-minded.’” He’s alleged to have used online platforms to discover parents “who would allow him to train their minor daughters to be sexually subservient.”
“The allegations are deeply disturbing, and our office is committed to working with our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office District of Vermont to ensure Mr. Griffin is held accountable for his actions,” the FBI wrote on Twitter. “The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively investigate those who victimize the most vulnerable in our communities.”
Griffin’s suspension from the network comes as show anchor Chris Cuomo—who Griffin’s LinkedIn profile said he worked “shoulder to shoulder” with, was removed from CNN over his involvement in his brother Andrew Cuomo’s sexual misconduct scandal.
