Longtime CNN producer John Griffin interacted with children as the federal government investigates allegations of child sexual abuse

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EXCLUSIVE: A Connecticut man expressed disbelief that former longtime CNN producer John Griffin was free to interact with young children while authorities spent 17 months investigating him for having allegedly abused a 9 year old girl.

The man, who knows Griffin’s family, said Griffin, 44, and his wife, Allyson, 46, have three young children and have hosted sleepovers and poolside parties at their sprawling property million dollar tower overlooking Long Island Sound in Wilson Point, Connecticut.

Passport photo of John Griffin in October 2020 for arrest for impaired driving. (Vermont State Police)

“The Griffins have young children, and these young children have friends,” the resident told Fox News. “I know someone who is friends with their daughter and went to a pool party at his house last summer, and he [Griffin] was here.”

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Griffin and his wife separated last year but were trying to mend their marriage last summer, sources told Fox News.

The local man said it was common knowledge in the community that Griffin was a heavy drinker and had spent time in rehab. He was charged in Vermont in October 2020 with drunk driving and crushing his vehicle against another car.

Unidentified woman at CNN producer John Griffin’s home in Norwalk (Fox News Digital)

Griffin was arrested on Dec. 10 in Connecticut on a federal indictment outside Vermont for allegedly soliciting three mothers and their underage daughters for fetish sex “training”.

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The most recent incident involved troubling allegations that he took a mother and 9-year-old adopted daughter to his $ 2 million Vermont mountainside cabin in July 2020 to engage in illicit sex acts. He reportedly paid the mother $ 3,500 for the meeting.

Authorities in Nevada arrested the mother a month later and specifically named Griffin in the lawsuit against her, although he was not charged at the time.

CNN fired lead producer John Griffin. (LinkedIn)

Federal authorities became aware of the allegations of child abuse and on September 2, 2020, just days after the woman’s arrest, seized “computers, storage media, devices, phones, devices photo, MicroSD cards, pictures and videos, “according to court documents. .

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But federal authorities waited 16 months to arrest Griffin, who continued to have regular contact with his children and interact with the community without anyone knowing he was suspected of the crimes, sources told Fox News.

Lawyer Michael Bachner, who has represented dozens of high-profile defendants in federal court, was surprised authorities failed to act sooner.

Ex-CNN producer John Griffin’s cottage in Vermont, at $ 2 million, where he is accused of abusing a 9-year-old girl. (Fox News digital)

“While the FBI did a search in September and was aware of the underlying conduct against Griffin in the Nevada case, it is quite remarkable that steps were not taken to remove Griffin from the streets,” did he declare. “Leaving someone free when you know or have probable reason to believe they are a predator to me is a bad decision.”

The resident asked if family ties in the community protected Griffin.

He described the Griffins family as having a “nouveau riche vibe” and “splashing money all over town.”

Allyson Griffin on the phone Tuesday at her home in Norwalk, Connecticut (Fox News Digital)

Griffin was living in Stamford, Connecticut, at the time of his arrest, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

During his initial appearance via Zoom in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, where he agreed to be extradited to Vermont, he admitted he still hits the bottle.

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Trial judge Robert Spector asked him if he had used drugs or alcohol in the past 24 hours.

“Yes, Your Honor,” he replied. “I have no doubts that it has been quite a while since I have been completely sober at this point.”

CNN quickly fired former producer Chris Cuomo after his arrest, and a spokesperson said the company had no knowledge of the employee’s alleged misconduct.

Griffin is currently on his way to Vermont to be brought to justice for sex trafficking which could lead to him behind bars in life.

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His lawyer, David Kirby, declined to comment. A spokesperson for the Vermont attorney’s office did not return multiple requests for comment.

Mike Ruiz and Brian Flood contributed to this report.

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