A grandmother hailed by the federal authorities for helping bring down a Volusia County hotel owner who was luring teenagers into porn said she and her grandson were left with nothing.
Jane Lee, the grandmother who helped authorities bring down Dennis Devlin, the previous owner of the hotel, said she didn't get a penny from helping uncover the porn scam.
"In January 2011, a worried grandmother walked into our Daytona Beach office," FBI Special Agent Michelle Klimit said. "The story she told involved the sexual exploitation of her grandchild."
Federal, state and local law enforcement split $1.5 million in forfeiture funds from the sale of the Desert Inn. It's being called the largest forfeiture of commercial assets in U.S. history from a child pornography case.
Lee said her grandson was lured to the hotel as part of Devlin's child porn scam. Now, she said she has mounting medical bills for treatment and is more than $50,000 in debt.
"But my grandson is still hurting," Lee said. "And I'm still getting bills for psychiatrist and everything else. ... A pat on the back goes so far."
Lee said she was offered money for providing information leading to an arrest, but she hasn't received anything up to this point.
When contacted about the situation, a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's Office said the law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss.
"While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department of Justice's Crime Victims' Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs," said William Daniels, media specialist at the Office of the U.S. Attorney General.
Lee said she hasn't heard from any agency about restitution for her grandson or for herself. She wants to see one of the agencies who benefitted from the sale of the Desert Inn to offer her grandson college tuition so he can have hope for a better life.
"It makes me sick to my stomach," Lee said.