Bridgeport Man Accused Of Federal Child Exploitation Offenses

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 25-year-old Bridgeport man has been charged with federal child exploitation offenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman announced last week.

Onai Kedar Wilbur Wright was charged by criminal complaint and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford on Thursday. He has been in custody since his arrest March 14 on related state charges. Sharing in last week's announcement was Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s New Haven Division.

According to court documents and statements, an FBI Online Covert Employee with the bureau’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Cleveland observed Wright on a livestream through the internet platform "Fambase," engaging in sexually explicit activity with a 16-year-old girl.

Investigators used mobile communication data, geo-location tracking, and information from Airbnb to locate a residence in Norwich, where Wright was taken into custody. The minor and two adult women were also found at the location.

Wright faces one count of sexual exploitation of children, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. He is also charged with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which carries a minimum of 10 years and a potential maximum of life in prison.

Silverman emphasized that the charges are allegations and that Wright is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The FBI’s New Haven and Cleveland Divisions are leading the investigation, with assistance from the Norwich Police Department, the New London State’s Attorney’s Office, and law enforcement agencies in Vermilion and Norwalk, Ohio. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford is prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio also provided support for the investigation.

The case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which targets the prevention and prosecution of child sexual exploitation. More information is available at www.justice.gov/psc. Suspected child exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com.