CHERRYVILLE, N.C. — A Cherryville businessman accused of using a hidden camera to record girls in the shower pleaded guilty to child pornography charges on Monday.
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Prosecutors said Richard Hilliard hid a camera on his boat, "Yachts O' Trouble" and used it to record girls in the shower.
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They said those girls were as young as 8 years old, and that another child even said Hilliard paid her for sex.
Officials said Hilliard admitted in court that he secretly produced recordings of at least 16 children in the Carolinas over the course of eight to 10 years.
In January, a grand jury issued 40 more counts against Hilliard relating to the creation and transportation of child pornography.