CNN executive producer Alan Audet was arrested on Tuesday by FBI agents for
allegedly using the Internet in an attempt to persuade an underage girl to into
having sex with him, FBI special agent Richard Kolko said Thursday.
Audet was executive producer of CNN's 6 p.m. weekday newscast, First
Evening News, hosted by Bill Hemmer. CNN terminated Audet following the
arrest, one source said.
Audet, 44, allegedly used an Internet chat room over a two-day period in an
attempt to convince who he believed was a 13-year-old girl to meet him for a
sexual encounter. In reality, Audet was chatting with members of the FBI's
Innocent Images Task Force, Kolko said.
Audet, whose home and office were searched by the FBI and local authorities
following his arrest, was charged with use of an interstate device to entice a
minor for the purpose of engaging in illicit activity. The federal charge
carries a potential 15-year prison term, Kolko said.
Audet posted a $50,000 bond on Wednesday, Kolko said.
CNN spokeswoman Edna Johnson said the network had no comment on Audet's
arrest. 'As a matter of company policy, we do not discuss personnel issues,'
Johnson said.
