United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

Project Safe Childhood: SHELTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY POSSESSION CHARGE

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONATHAN WRIGHT, 45, of Rock Rim Road, Shelton, pleaded guilty today before United States Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport to one count of possession of child pornography.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in Court, on June 23, 2004, special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at WRIGHT’s residence.  Agents had sought the warrant after an investigation had revealed that WRIGHT used his home computer to post sexually explicit images of minors to an online photo album and that he had made that photo album accessible to members of an Internet forum for collectors of child pornography.  During the search of WRIGHT’s home, law enforcement officers seized a number of home computers and related equipment.  Analysis of the computer hard drives revealed the existence of more than 600 images of child pornography, including numerous photographs of children under the age of 12.

WRIGHT is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Stefan R. Underhill on June 6, 2008, at which time WRIGHT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James Smart.

United States Attorney O’Connor noted that this prosecution is part of the United States Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov