Longtime CNN producer John Griffin pleads not guilty to child sex trafficking charges
Fox News
Longtime CNN producer John Griffin on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to child sex trafficking charges during his arraignment hearing in a Vermont district court.
Griffin, 44, pleaded not guilty to three counts child sex trafficking and faces anywhere from 10 years behind bars to life imprisonment if convicted.
Judge William Sessions III granted Vermont Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher's motion for Griffin's pretrial detention. He will be held at a Cheshire County, New Hampshire, prison without bail.
"[Griffin] has a history of mental illness and substance abuse, and he recently admitted to continuing to use intoxicants," Drescher wrote in the motion. "He faces not only a significant loss of liberty, but also extraordinary reputational damage. He has dishonestly tried to talk his way out of being held accountable. He has tried to buy his way out of trouble. There is no set of conditions that can assure the Court of his continued appearance or address the danger he presents if released."