Members of a “family-owned transgender pornography production company” have been sentenced for the sexual abuse of a seven-year-old girl.
One of these members, Marina Volz, a biological male who identifies as a woman, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for forcing “her” 7-year-old daughter to participate in sexual acts, Anna Slatz reported for Reduxx.
Volz, born Matthew, was arrested back in 2019 after the New Jersey Department of Child Protection became aware that Volz was creating pornography in a home where a child lives.
Following the execution of a search warrant, authorities found that the child in question had likely been exposed to sexually explicit material.
Electronic devices were subsequently seized from the property, and an examination later uncovered several sexually-explicit photos and videos of the child, Slatz reported.
The child was then removed from the premises. The child’s mother lived in Oregon during the span of the abuse.
In addition to Volz, three others were arrested that were part of the pornography company, that reportedly specialised in fetish, taboo, and BDSM content.
Volz, alongside trans-identified male Ashley Romero, took the young girl from her mother and had transported her to New Jersey to use the child in the sexual exploitation material industry.
Following Volz’s arrest, the child now resides with relatives, and Volz has surrendered all parental rights.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that the young girl had been subjected to “a vortex of darkness” after being removed from her mother.
According to Slatz, “Assistant Somerset County Prosecutor Brian Stack said the four, who had formed a sadistic family unit, were ‘incapable of redemption,’ noting that none had taken responsibility for the harm they’d done.”
Judge Tober meanwhile said the crime was said "heinous, cruel and depraved", and commented the child endured abuse involving a basement cage, neck collars and a variety of sex toys.
The judge sentenced Volz and Romero to 25 years without parole, while Allen received a 12-year sentence (eligible for parole after 10 years), and Gnecco was handed a five year sentence.
Volz, Romero and Allen will all be subject to lifetime parole supervision upon release.
An investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit found Volz managed to win custody of the child in 2018, before taking her from her mother's home on the West Coast and bringing her back to New Jersey.
Once in captivity, the young girl was subjected to sexual abuse and filmed on multiple electronic devices.
Investigators who raided the property one night after they assumed custody of the child following an anonymous tip off in January 2019 discovered more than 30 computers, cameras and digital storage devices containing extensive evidence of child pornography and sexual abuse.
They also discovered firearms, a high-capacity magazine and cocaine at the residence, according to The Daily Voice.
Anthony Cowell, Volz' public defender, confirmed the child has been adopted by relatives and added his client had relinquished all parental rights following the abuse.
"She will never see her child again... I can't wrap my head around what happened in this case," he said, adding the evidence was "some of the worst images I have ever seen in my life."
Cowell explained Volz had no criminal record, had served in the US army and was not deemed to be a violent sexual predator prior to the case.
The judge meanwhile said it will be years before the full extent of the psychological harm endured by Volz' daughter is known, declaring the girl had "suffered grievously" at the hands of her captors.
He also stated the transgender woman had herself suffered sexual abuse in her youth and had attempted to commit suicide on numerous occasions.
Romero's lawyer insisted his client "has her head on the right way for redemption... there is hope for her", despite the fact she extensively abused the child while being filmed.
Allen, a US Navy veteran, said he was complicit in orchestrating the cross-country transport of a minor for the purposes of sexual gratification, and had also engaged in the sexual abuse.
Gnecco meanwhile received a lesser sentence, as the judge established she had not participated in the abuse of the child.
The 21-year-old acted as the child's carer and was tasked mostly with cooking and cleaning in Volz' New Jersey home, according to her lawyer Jack Venturi. She ultimately pleaded guilty to counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Acting prosecutor Taggart said the case served as an example of the importance of reporting suspicions of child abuse, arguing that without the anonymous tip-off from a concerned member of the community, Volz and her accomplices may never have been brought to justice.
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