Minnesota Woman Convicted For Providing Porn To Washburn Man
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A second woman has been convicted in the case of a North Dakota man who offered hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for pornographic images of children they produced and provided to him.
A federal jury on Thursday found Roxanne Merrell, 35, of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, guilty on two counts of production of child pornography, following a three-day trial in Minneapolis. Each charge carries a maximum term of 30 years in prison.
Authorities say Merrell took the photos in 2010 for Travis L. Guenthner, of Washburn, who promised her $100,000 for the images. Guenthner pleaded guilty last year to seven counts of child porn and was sentenced to life in prison, after prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence.
Merrell was indicted in November after the images she provided to Guenthner were found on Guenthner's computer. Merrell's case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Cottage Grove Police Department.
"It is our job to do everything that we can to protect the most vulnerable members of our society," federal agent J. Michael Netherland said in a statement.
Merrell's attorneys did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.
The first conviction in the case came in North Dakota in 2013 when Michelle Laducer, of Rolla, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for helping Guenthner produce photographs of one victim. The images included Guenthner engaging in sexual activity with the young girl.
Laducer told investigators Guenthner asked her in summer 2012 to take sexually explicit photographs of a young girl with her smart phone in a tent south of Bismarck. Guenthner had allegedly promised Laducer up to $200,000 for the images. She did not receive any money.
Guenthner was apprehended in Bismarck in January 2013 when a police detective posed as a 14-year-old girl on a social networking site and received messages from a "Travis L." Police set up a meeting with Guenthner at a Bismarck mall, where he was arrested.
A sentencing date for Merrell has not been scheduled.
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