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.
