CALIFORNIA
NBC San Diego
By Samantha Tatro
A former seminary student pleaded guilty Wednesday to traveling to San Diego seeking to adopt and have sex with infant girls, according to a plea agreement.
In the plea agreement, Joel A. Wright, 23, admitted to writing numerous explicit emails where he described how he wanted to sexually assault infants under the age of four in Mexico.
“There are no words to describe the horror that might have happened, had an innocent baby been placed in this man’s arms,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in a statement. “There is nothing more important on my agenda than keeping children safe from pedophiles.”
Wright, a former seminary student in Columbus, Ohio, originally posted Craigslist ads starting Nov. 25, seeking a female tour guide, according to the guilty plea. When an unidentified witness replied, he told the witness he wanted to “adopt/own a baby girl (under the age of 3)” and have sexual intercourse with her, according to the plea agreement.
In a different email with an undercover federal agent, Wright admitted to telling the agent he bought infant pain relief medication and a “pretty outfit” for a 1- or 2-year-old, according to the document.
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