3 plead guilty to child porn charges

A Bloomington, Ind., man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Friday to charges he and two women took pictures of sexual parties involving a 3-year-old girl and an 11-year-old New Athens girl and sent the pictures over the Internet.

William M. Milligan, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and receipt of child pornography before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Wilkerson.

Louise Helen Masulla, 32, formerly of New Athens, and Tabitha D. Robinson, 32, of Midlothian, also face charges of trafficking the girls across state lines for sexual purposes.

Robinson had custory of the 3-year-old girl; the 11-year-old girl was in Masulla's custody.

The child porn ring was uncovered after Alton police were told about child molestation and Internet chat room activity that happened between July 22 and Aug. 10.

Milligan, Robinson and Masulla met in an a Terre Haute, Ind., hotel room and engaged in a sex party involving the two children and took photos of the molestation, according to the charges.

Masulla e-mailed the pictures to Robinson and Milligan, and he circulated them to at least five other men on the Internet, according to federal court documents.

"This defendant and two co-conspirators made ... statements that could be construed as confessions," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Garrison, who prosecuted the case.

Robinson pleaded guilty April 1. Sentencing is scheduled for July 13.

Milligan entered his guilty plea Friday. He could face between 24 and 31 years in prison when he is sentenced June 22.

Louise Helen Masulla, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis to a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, aggravated sexual abuse and transportation of child pornography.

Masulla's two co-defendants previously had pleaded guilty to charges in the indictment.

According to a factual stipulation filed at the time of Masulla's guilty pleas, Masulla met a co-defendant in an Internet chat room. During their Internet chats, Masulla and the co-defendant discussed having sex with children. Masulla and one co-defendant met in Alton last summer for a sexual encounter.

Beginning in 2008, Masulla and her co-defendants met each other in Internet chat rooms and had conversations of a sexual nature, which included discussion about sex with children. Masulla included a minor during some of the Internet chats, and on one occasion, the child was unclothed.

On or about Aug. 8 of last year, Masulla and her co-defendants traveled to the same hotel in Terre Haute, Ind., with two minor children. Masulla and her co-defendants had group sex. During the sexual encounter, the two minor children were present and were naked at various times. Masulla admitted that she performed oral sex on the minors at that time.

Sentencing for Masulla is scheduled for July 27.