Tacoma woman sentenced for child pornography. Airline passenger reported texts
A Tacoma woman who molested a child in her care was sentenced in federal court Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Gail Lynn Burnworth and her boyfriend were arrested in 2017 after an airline passenger on a flight with the boyfriend saw and reported text messages between the two about sexually abusing children.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle sentenced Burnworth, 54, to six years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Burnworth pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography.
The boyfriend, Michael Kellar, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last year after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography.
“This defendant committed unspeakable acts, claiming to be under the evil influence of her boyfriend,” acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a news release. “The harm she inflicted to those left in her care is deserving of prison and supervision that keeps her away from children.”
The airline passenger reported the text messages to flight attendants, and, when the plane landed in San Jose, California police spoke with Kellar and arrested him.
“Investigators found sexually explicit images on Burnworth’s devices and found several hundred images of child pornography on Kellar’s laptop” after they got a search warrant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office news release said.
Both will have to register as sex offenders when they are released.
“In this case, the mission included local partners as well as a vigilant private citizen which led to the rescue of two children from unspeakable abuse,” Donald Voiret, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Seattle Field Division, said in the news release. “Thanks to this work, Ms. Burnworth will be able to reflect on her choices from behind bars.”
In their sentencing memorandum prosecutors asked for a sentence of 12 years.
“Not only did she talk about vile acts of child rape that she intended to carry out for and with her boyfriend, Michael Kellar, but she also used her trusted position as a caregiver to molest” a child and film the abuse for Kellar, they wrote.
The memorandum said Burnworth acted when Kellar threatened to leave her and to embarrass her with videos she made for him.
“That she can explain her horrific actions does not justify them, and there is certainly no reason for this Court to think she will not do the same thing again,” they wrote.
