An east Georgia man and a South Carolina woman will spend 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to a plot to sexually exploit an 8-year-old girl, according to multiple media reports.
Charles Brandon Powell, 33, of Hephzibah, and Carrie Marie Minton, 25, of Cordoba, pleaded guilty to a count of production of child pornography in July, AJC.com previously reported. Minton is reportedly Powell’s ex-girlfriend.
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They admitted to having online discussions to set up an encounter to sexually abuse the child. Minton planned to bring the girl to Powell’s home from South Carolina, prosecutors said.
In court, prosecutors said Minton and Powell spent weeks grooming the child for molestation, which included showing her a photo of Powell's genitals, the Augusta Chronicle reported Tuesday.
In addition, Minton sent a sexually explicit photo of a 5-month-old girl to Powell. That photo tipped off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which contacted authorities to intervene.
Shortly after, Powell and Minton were taken into custody “without either of the children subjected to further harm,” prosecutors previously said. Minton’s relationship to the children was not specified.
The two were held in the Jefferson County Jail until their sentencing.
Minton’s attorney, Joseph Rhodes, asked the judge for leniency when sentencing his client, noting that she had been sexually abused as a child and easily manipulated by Powell, the Chronicle reported.
Minton and Powell will have to register as sex offenders after their prison time. Minton was ordered to serve an additional 15 years on supervised released, the Chronicle reported.
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