Ken Gourlay was convicted Friday following a weeklong trial and more than three
hours of jury deliberations. He faces up to 20 years in state prison when
sentenced May 2 by Circuit Court Judge Archie Brown.
Gourlay, 29, was accused of sexually assaulting Justin Berry and using him to
produce and distribute child pornography over the Internet.
Berry said he began performing sexual acts on the Internet in 1999, when he was
13. Prosecutors say Berry, who now is an adult, was lured to Ann Arbor from
California in 2002 to attend a computer camp and was molested by Gourlay.
Berry's claims drew wide attention when he testified before Congress in April
about online child pornography.
Gourlay was one of several men arrested on charges involving child pornography
after Berry began working with the Justice Department. One of them, Gregory
Mitchel, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 150 years in prison.
Gourlay was convicted of a total of 10 felony charges. Other charges included
using a computer to engage in child sexually abusive activity, distributing
child pornography over the Internet and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Defense lawyer James Howarth asserted that many of the prosecution witnesses
lied.
Berry's testimony before Congress came after his case was highlighted by The
New York Times. The Times acknowledged Tuesday that the reporter who wrote the
acclaimed 2005 article about Berry and Web sex sites run by teenagers had
helped gain the boy's trust by sending him a $2,000 check.
Gourlay also is charged in a separate case with 20 counts of third-degree
criminal sexual conduct involving a 14-year-old boy from the Detroit area.
