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Couple allegedly used kidnapped Amish girls for child porn

A federal indictment charges that Nicole Vaisey and Stephen Howells, who allegedly kidnapped two Amish sisters, used a third girl for child pornography for two years.

By Frances Burns
A couple accused of kidnapping two Amish sisters from their family's roadside stand in New York State used them for child pornography, federal prosecutors said. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch)
A couple accused of kidnapping two Amish sisters from their family's roadside stand in New York State used them for child pornography, federal prosecutors said. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch) | License Photo

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A couple accused of kidnapping two Amish sisters from their family's roadside stand in New York State used them for child pornography, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Nicole Vaisey, 25, and Stephen Howells, 39, allegedly held the sisters for a day in August. An indictment also charged them with exploiting another girl, now 8, from 2012 into this year, transmitting pornographic images of her electronically.

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Vaisey and Howells, who were originally arrested Aug. 14 on state kidnapping charges, appeared in federal court Thursday morning after an indictment was handed up. A magistrate ordered them held without bail pending a hearing Tuesday.

"These are crimes of violence and crimes against minor children," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher said when she was asked why the couple should remain behind bars, adding that they face from 15 to 30 years in prison if they are convicted.

The sisters, aged 7 and 12, disappeared from the family's farmstand in Heuvelton, a rural hamlet on the Canadian border Aug. 12. They were set free the next day in Richville, N.Y., about 20 miles away.

Howells and Vaisey, who allegedly used a puppy to get the girls into their car, were quickly arrested.

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Vaisey worked as a dog groomer, while Howells was a registered nurse at Clayton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, N.Y.

Bradford Riendeau, Vaisey's lawyer, said in a television interview last month that his client was dominated by Howells. He told WWNY-TV that Howells kept handcuffs and canes and videotaped sex with her.

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