Former WCSG Host John Balyo Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

Guilty Plea

As ALL ACCESS reported last week (NET NEWS 7/25), former CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY Contemporary Christian WCSG (91.3)/GRAND RAPIDS morning host JOHN BALYO has pleaded guilty to two federal charges of child sexual exploitation, reports the GRAND RAPIDS PRESS/MLIVE.COM.

Pursuant to a plea deal, BALYO submitted a guilty plea TUESDAY (7/29) to counts of sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old boy to make child pornography and possession of child pornography. In court, BALYO told U.S. Magistrate Judge ELLEN CARMODY that he "performed a sexual act as described and I knowingly possessed the images on my camera. I knew it was wrong." The prosecution said that BALYO paid a 12-year-old boy in KALAMAZOO COUNTY for sex, handcuffing the boy's hands and feet and tying the boy to a bed.

The deal requires BALYO to turn over computers and equipment he used to create the porn, and while U.S. Attorney PATRICK MILES will not seek additional charges from a federal grand jury, additional state charges may be forthcoming, and he faces a state charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct arising from an incident in which he allegedly paid a man to set up sexual encounters with an 11-year-old boy.  BALYO faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to a maximum of 50 years in prison, and could spend the rest of his life in jail if convicted of state charges and ordered to serve the sentences consecutively.

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