John Murray pleads guilty in federal court to 16 child sex abuse offenses

John E. Murray III, 56, former manager of West Alton Marina, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to 12 counts of production of child sexual abuse materials and four counts of sex trafficking of a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young.

Murray, of Alton Bay, was responsible for hiring and supervising seasonal employees at West Alton Marina, many of whom were minors. According to court documents and statements made in court, Murray solicited minor employees of the marina for sexually explicit images and videos of themselves, often in exchange for cash.  Murray told the victims to send him the videos via Snapchat, and videos of the victims were found on Murray’s cellphone and in his Snapchat account.  Murray also subjected minor employees to unwanted sexual contact and sexual acts. Murray made cash payments to two minor victims in exchange for allowing Murray to perform sexual acts on the victims. The conduct took place over the course of several years and dates back to at least 2015, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Murray has been in custody since August 2021. Sentencing is scheduled for March 22, 2023, and the plea agreement filed in federal court recommends Murray be sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. 

Murray is also facing a number of civil complaints stemming from the charges.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Alton Police Department, with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police, the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

In other federal court proceedings Wednesday, Timothy Ryan, 34, of Sanbornton was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material during an initial hearing, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young said Wednesday afternoon. 

Ryan was arrested without incident Dec. 13 after investigators executed a search warrant and seized Ryan’s electronic devices. According to court documents and statements made in court, Ryan was identified as a suspect in an online investigation related to the distribution of child exploitation material on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Agents reviewing the contents of Ryan’s cellphone confirmed the presence of child exploitation material on his cell phone. He will remain detained until a hearing scheduled for Dec. 21, according to a DOJ news release.