Milton Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

CONCORD, NH—John Allen Wright, 46, of Milton, appeared in United States District Court today and pled guilty to six counts of sexual exploitation of children in violation of federal law, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas.

In February, 2011, a member of New Hampshire’s Internet Crimes Against Children (NH ICAC) Task Force initiated an undercover investigation to locate and identify individuals possessing and trading images of child pornography through file sharing networks. Information obtained as a result of the investigation led to the issuance of a search warrant for Wright’s residence in Milton, New Hampshire. In the course of the search, computers and peripherals were seized and forensic examination revealed several videos depicting Wright sexually assaulting minor children who were passengers aboard his school bus. The initial search also revealed thousands of child sexual assault images that had been downloaded from the Internet. A subsequent federal search warrant yielded further evidence linking Wright to the production of the videos.

The defendant has been in custody since his indictment in October 2011. He will remain detained pending sentencing scheduled for December 20, 2012. The defendant faces a minimum mandatory prison term of 15 years on each of five counts of the six-count indictment and a total maximum prison term of up to 160 years.

This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

In addition to the NH ICAC Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New London Police Department, the Dover Police Department, and the Kittery (ME) Police Department contributed valuable time and effort to this investigation and prosecution.