Man pleads guilty to buying video showing sexual assault of child
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POCATELLO — A Wyoming man has pleaded guilty to buying a video from a former Idaho State University student, who sexually assaulted an 8-year-old boy in a campus bathroom.
James Colton Giannell, 23, of Sheridan, Wyoming, pleaded guilty Monday to sexual exploitation of a child. Court records show Giannell purchased the video for $150 from Andrew John Jemmett, who sexually assaulted the boy in April 2019.
Jemmett pleaded guilty to producing child pornography was sentenced to 25 years in prison last month.
A federal grand jury indicted Giannell in August 2020 after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department launched an investigation in early 2020. Las Vegas authorities determined Jemmett made the sexually explicit video at ISU and both local and federal investigators were called in.
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In conversations over Snapchat, Jemmett and Giannell had multiple conversations about filming and sharing the rape of the child. Authorities were able to track down Giannell and according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release, Giannell admitted to requesting and paying for the videos.
Giannell is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 4 and faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.