Two admit roles in teenage porn e-mailed to Navy ship

[thedrifter]

Two admit roles in teenage porn e-mailed to Navy ship

Third person rejects plea deal, faces trial

By Onell R. Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

October 8, 2003

A Navy man and his sister-in-law have admitted they took part in a scheme to e-mail pornographic pictures of underage girls to the aircraft carrier Constellation.

A third person, also a sailor on the carrier, rejected a proposed plea agreement and has been ordered to stand trial on molestation and child pornography charges.

All three are from El Cajon, as are the two high school girls who appear in the pornographic pictures.

Robert Quackenbush, 36, pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography, molestation and statutory rape and faces up to six years in prison at a San Diego Superior Court hearing scheduled for Nov. 19.

His sister-in-law, Candy Besecker, 39, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the molestation and will be sentenced to no more than a year in jail at a hearing set for Nov. 3.

Their friend Wayne Craig, 22, rejected a deal that would have meant no more than five years in prison. He now faces more than eight years in prison if convicted.

Defense lawyer David Berman said evidence that would exonerate Craig will be presented at trial.

A 16-year-old girl testified that Craig started a sexual relationship with her last year before he shipped out on the Constellation with Quackenbush.

Once on the ship, Craig wrote her constantly, she said.

"I would come home every day from school and I would get on the computer and e-mail him," she said.

She complied when Craig asked her to take nude pictures of herself and e-mail them to him, she testified. He also sent similar pictures of himself back from the ship, she said.

The San Diego Union-Tribune does not identify minors who say they are victims of sexual crimes.

Investigators aboard ship began looking into the case when someone turned in an incriminating e-mail, prosecutor Jeffrey Dort said.

Craig admitted to sexual acts with the girl and to asking her to send him pornographic pictures, testified Amy Murphy, an agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service who interrogated him aboard ship.

"He knew she was in high school," Murphy said. "He knew she was 15."



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Onell Soto: (619) 293-1280; onell.soto@uniontrib.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...1m8connie.html


Sempers,

Roger