Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2000 | 10:47 a.m.
Kim Smith
The grandfather of two Las Vegas girls who were sold into sexual servitude by their parents was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for sexually abusing the girls as well.
Joseph Meisner, 73, begged District Judge John McGroarty to give him probation, saying a prison sentence would be a death sentence for him because of his ill health.
"The only thing I can say is I'm very, very sorry and I know it was dumb," Meisner said. "I'm not educated ..."
McGroarty instead sentenced the New Jersey resident to 24 months to five years in prison, telling him that he gave his granddaughters a life sentence.
Meisner is the fourth person convicted and sentenced in connection with a case Chief Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon said is as troubling a case as he's ever had.
The case began in April when a 15-year-old girl reported that Donald Dustman, a family friend, had been sexually abusing and taking pornographic pictures and videos of her for six years.
During the course of the investigation, police learned that the girl's parents had been accepting $1,500 a month from Dustman for years so he could have access to the girl, her 18-year-old stepsister and a 15-year-old cousin who was being raised in the home.
Police also learned that the father had been sexually abusing the 18-year-old and that Meisner had been sexually abusing two of the girls.
Dustman, the parents and Meisner all took deals. Dustman was sentenced to life in prison with parole possible after 20 years and the father received two 20-year terms. The mother received 14 and a half years.
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