Two Mercer residents plead guilty to producing child porn

Published 7:49 pm Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Two Mercer County people pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to producing child pornography in 2017 on Monday.

In their plea agreements, Rafael W. Poynter, 45, and his ex-wife Anastasia C. Vandergriff, 37, both of Harrodsburg, admitted to sexually abusing a minor and producing videos of the abuse using a cell phone, according to a news release from the Department of Justice, Eastern District of Kentucky. The abuse was discovered on Jan. 21, 2017, when the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint about possible sexual assault of a juvenile.

Mercer deputies obtained a search warrant to search Poynter and Vandergriff’s residence on Shakertown Road, where they located Poynter’s cell phone. During the forensic examination of that device, agents located multiple videos depicting sexual abuse, which was perpetrated by Vandergriff and directed and filmed by Poynter.

              Poynter

          Vandergriff

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Poynter is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28. Vandergriff is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3. Production of child pornography carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years.

Mercer County Sheriff Ernie Kelty jointly announced the sentencing with U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan Jr. and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge James M. Gibbons.

The investigation was conducted by HSI and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Bradley.

According to Advocate-Messenger archives, Poynter and Vandergriff were arrested on Jan. 23, 2017, at their home by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Special Response Team.

At that time, Poynter was charged with first-degree complicity to commit rape of a victim under 12; first-degree complicity to commit sodomy of a victim under 12; use of a minor under 16 in a sexual performance; and promoting a minor under 16 in a sexual performance.

Vandergriff was charged with first-degree rape of a victim under 12; first-degree sodomy of a victim under 12 and use of a minor in a sexual performance.