Army officer gets more than 17 years for distributing child porn

12 minutes ago

By Sandy Hodson

The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle (MCT)

Published: October 23, 2014

An officer stationed at Fort Gordon, Ga., was sentenced Wednesday to 17½ years in prison for child pornography.

2nd Lt. Cory Griffis, 23, pleaded guilty this year in U.S. District Court. On Wednesday, he apologized for being involved in child pornography.

Griffis said it wasn’t until his arrest that he realized he was also guilty of victimizing children. The realization led to a suicide attempt and months of therapy, he said.

Although possession of child pornography is usually punished by a prison term in the federal criminal justice system, Griffis’ sentencing range was much longer because he not only possessed the images but also distributed them.

Griffis was set to deploy to Afghanistan when he was arrested. His collection of pornography was so large that it was impossible in a practical manner for the agents to review it all, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Greenwood said.

Griffis, who graduated from college with two degrees, became addicted to pornography after years of untreated abuse, contended his defense attorney, Michael Garrett. He stressed Griffis’ youth and commitment to serve his country as mitigating circumstances.

U.S. District Judge J. Randal Hall acknowledged the factors that weighed in Griffis’ favor, but with the particularly disturbing nature of the child pornography he collected and Griffis’ active engagement in the child pornography community online, Hall declined to impose a sentence below the advisory federal sentencing guidelines.

After his release from from prison – there is no parole in the federal criminal justice system – Griffis will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life.

Griffis is still in the Army. Administrative proceedings are pending, said J.C. Mathews, the public affairs officer at Fort Gordon.

©2014 The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.