By Tamara Jolee, May 9, 2008

TYLER - Shauntel Mayo - the woman that organized the "Mineola Swinger's 
Club" and forced her own children to perform there - was found guilty in 
a Smith County Courthouse Thursday.

The jury decided 29-year-old Shauntel Mayo's fate in less than five minutes.

She received the maximum sentence of life behind bars and required to 
pay a $10,000 fine for engaging in organized criminal activity. She will 
be eligible for parole in 25 years.

"The unthinkable," said Smith County assistant district attorney Joe 
Murphy. "She had her kids have sex with each other and taught them to 
masterbate. She taught them how to strip. She withheld food from them. 
All so she could make money."

The so-called "Mineola Swinger's Club" is a place where Mayo forced her 
kids to go, if they wanted dinner.

Inside that 'club', which was a rented-out business that ironically once 
served as a daycare and hospital, Mayo and five others are accused of 
running an operation that forced young children to dance and perform 
sexual skits for food.

Five of the children are now in custody and three of them are Mayo's kids.

Texas Ranger Phillip Kemp, the lead investigator in the case, testified 
Wednesday that he believes that at least 15 more kids 'performed' at the 
"Mineola Swinger's Club" - but the investigation to locate them continues.

In March and less than 10 minutes after deliberating, a Smith County 
jury found Mayo's live-in boyfriend, 36-year-old Jaime Pittman, guilty 
of aggravated sexual assault of a child and he was sentenced to life 
behind bars. Mayo's mother, Sheila Sones, is also charged in connection 
wtih this case.

At the times the alleged assaults took place in 2005, the defendant's 
children were a five-year-old girl, six-year-old boy and seven-year-old 
girl. The sibling's aunt and defendant's sister, who was also six-years- 
old, also testified she was forced to dance and have sex with the other 
children.

Late Wednesday afternoon, three young children and one teenager, took 
the stand and answered questions about Mayo's involvement in the case.

"We learned to strip (at 'kindergarten')," said the seven-year-old. " I 
had to touch my privates with my sister's and brother's privates for the 
people in the club."

The little boy testified about stripping for an audience that paid money 
to watch.

KETK does not identify sexual assault victims nor the new parents of 
these children.

According to the adoptive mother's testimony, three years removed from 
the sex ring, the kids still suffer extreme behavioral, emotional and 
physical problems.

One after another, the children described in graphic detail of a place 
they dubbed 'kindergarten.'

At 'kindergarten,' they said they learned how to strip, dance and 
perform sexual acts. First on dolls, then on each other. They also 
testified about 'silly pills.' Those pills were what each kid described 
they were given before going on stage. Prosecutors testified that the 
pills were likely Vicodin.

Upon "graduating" from 'kindergarten' the children said they moved on to 
"perform" at the club. After patrons paid a fee to get in, the kids say 
they had sexual contact with other children in front of an audience - 
including siblings and family members.

Jury members -- six men and four women -- cried as the kids testified. 
The children would not look at their mother until prosecutors asked them 
to identify and article of clothing she was wearing. Mayo sobbed upon 
seeing her kids and hearing the recollection of the events that took 
place, allegedly, in her care.

The children were adopted by a 60-year-old woman and man who said they 
have served as foster parents for 37 years.