TUCSON MAN CONVICTED ON CHARGES OF DISTRIBUTION AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jason Wright, 35, of Tucson, Ariz., was convicted by a federal jury on January 31, 2008, on charges of Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography. Wright was charged by indictment with 10 counts of varying charges including advertising of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, as well as various forfeiture allegations. After an eight-day trial Wright was convicted and taken into custody.

In 2003, the FBI Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team initiated an undercover online child pornography investigation. An FBI agent acting in an undercover capacity, entered chat rooms on the internet relating to teen sex and discovered Wright's online nickname. Wright's online interactions with the agent led to numerous images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. In their investigation, agents were able to determine Wright's internet address which later led to the discovery of his residential address. After obtaining a search warrant, agents seized the defendant’s computers and movies and subsequently discovered thousands of images and films depicting children involved in sexually explicit conduct. During the search, Wright made incriminating statements during questioning by the agents.

Wright's sentencing is scheduled for April 11, 2008 at which time he faces a mandatory minimum prison term of five years, up to a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, supervised release and sex offender registration. In determining an actual sentence, U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, SAFE Team. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson Mihok of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.

CASE NUMBER: CR 03-1908-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2008-016(Wright)