Columbia County man sentenced to multiple terms of life in federal prison after conviction on child sex trafficking charges

AUGUSTA, GA:  A Columbia County man convicted on 9 felony counts associated to baby intercourse trafficking has been sentenced to life in federal jail with no parole.

Michael Peyton Gunn, 37, of Evans, Ga., was sentenced to 3 phrases of life in jail after his conviction on 9 felony expenses together with Conspiracy to Have interaction in Intercourse Trafficking of a Minor, mentioned David H. Estes, U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Courtroom Chief Choose J. Randal Corridor additionally ordered Gunn to pay $800,000 in restitution, to register as a intercourse offender, and to be topic to a life time period of supervised launch if he’s free of confinement.

There is no such thing as a parole within the federal system.

“Michael Peyton Gunn inflicted unspeakable bodily and emotional torture upon his sufferer, and his wicked actions show unequivocally that he’s a hazard to society,” mentioned U.S. Legal professional Estes. “It’s solely applicable that he spend the remainder of his life behind bars.”

Chief Choose Corridor is also scheduled right this moment to condemn Gunn’s former spouse, Amanda Gunn, a/ok/a “Amanda Howard,” 35, of Augusta. She testified in Peyton Gunn’s November 2021 trial and faces a compulsory minimal sentence of 15 years in jail after beforehand pleading responsible to Intercourse Trafficking Conspiracy.

A U.S. District Courtroom jury on Nov. 18, 2021, discovered Peyton Gunn responsible of all 9 expenses introduced in a superseding federal indictment, together with Conspiracy to Have interaction in Intercourse Trafficking of a Minor; Intercourse Trafficking of a Youngster; Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Have interaction in Sexual Exercise; 4 counts of Manufacturing of Youngster Pornography; Possession of Youngster Pornography; and Obstruction of a Intercourse-Trafficking Investigation. On Tuesday, Might 24, Chief Choose Corridor sentenced Gunn to concurrent phrases of life in jail on the primary three counts; 30-year phrases on every depend of Manufacturing of Youngster Pornography; a 20-year time period for Possession of Youngster Pornography; and a 25-year time period for Obstruction of a Intercourse-Trafficking Investigation. 

The minor sufferer testified throughout Peyton Gunn’s trial that he employed rewards, concern, threats of hurt, bodily abuse, and intimidation to psychologically manipulate and sexually abuse the sufferer as younger as age 7. His actions steadily progressed from coercing the sufferer to take part in manufacturing of kid pornography and ultimately to forcing the minor sufferer to undergo industrial intercourse trafficking facilitated by internet advertising.

“Gunn preyed on an harmless baby solely for his personal pleasure, with out regard to the grievous and long-lasting hurt his wicked conduct would trigger,” mentioned Keri Farley, Particular Agent in Cost of FBI Atlanta. “Nevertheless, due to the devoted work from our brokers who aggressively pursue these heinous criminals, Gunn will spend the remainder of his life behind bars the place he won’t ever be capable of hurt one other baby.”

The investigation started in February 2020 when FBI brokers assisted with a baby pornography case in Hopkins County, Texas. Among the many contraband pictures brokers found have been greater than 700 pictures – lots of them depicting sexually express baby exploitation – that includes a person minor sufferer. Digital location data recognized these pictures as having originated from the neighborhood of Gunn’s residence in Evans. Brokers from the Augusta FBI workplace later questioned Gunn and searched his house, the place they discovered proof of the manufacturing of kid pornography and exploitation of the minor sufferer, together with digital gadgets storing a number of graphic pictures of kid sexual exploitation, torture, and abuse.

The persevering with investigation led to a superseding indictment that added Amanda Gunn as a defendant for her participation within the sex-trafficking conspiracy and obstruction of the investigation. She admitted her guilt and testified in courtroom throughout Peyton Gunn’s trial.

Additionally testifying in courtroom was Jonathan Eugene Grantham, 45, of Graniteville, S.C., who’s serving 140 months in federal jail after pleading responsible in August 2021 to Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Have interaction in Sexual Exercise. Grantham, a former Aiken County highschool trainer, admitted that he responded to a web based commercial trafficking the minor sufferer, after which traveled from South Carolina to Evans to move the minor sufferer to a motel for intercourse in return for cost.

The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Legal professional and Undertaking Protected Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons prosecuted the case for america.

Anybody with data on suspected baby sexual exploitation can contact the Nationwide Middle for Lacking and Exploited Youngsters at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.