Va. Man Gets 150 Years for Child Porn
Jul 16, 03:33 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Virginia man was sentenced to 150 years in prison
for sexually exploiting minors and operating child pornography Web
sites.
Gregory John Mitchel, who previously had been convicted of child
pornography crimes, pleaded guilty in January to the production,
distribution, sale and possession of child pornography.
Mitchel, 39, was sentenced Friday in federal court in Roanoke, the U.S.
Attorney's office for the Western District of Virginia said.
Officials found that Mitchel, of Dublin, Va., assisted in the daily
operation of child pornography Web sites and filmed videos of minors
engaging in sex acts.
Mitchel was implicated by Justin Berry, 19, who for five years starred
in his own Web cam child pornography business and has testified before
Congress about Internet child pornography.
Berry, of Bakersfield, Calif., also testified Friday against Ken
Gourlay, of Detroit, who is charged with 10 felony counts related to
sexual abuse and distributing sexually abusive material.
Berry testified he was sexually assaulted by Gourlay in 2002.
"He said I was gay and said just try it," Berry said, his voice
breaking. "It confused me ... it messed me up so bad, so bad that to
this day I have problems."
Under cross-examination Berry admitted he was performing sex acts for
money over the Internet long before meeting Gourlay.
Gourlay's attorneys moved to have eight counts dismissed. District
Judge J. Cedric Simpson said he would rule Aug. 1 on whether Gourlay
should stand trial.
Berry's story of a lonely teenager who sought friends on the Internet
but instead grew rich attracting pedophiles was reported in December by
The New York Times.
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