A Riverdale man who posed as a young dancer to convince preteen girls to send him explicit videos and photos on TikTok and Snapchat has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
James Wright, 34, was arrested in February 2024 after an investigation by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police, which began with tips from a national child exploitation center and authorities in Atlanta, where he is also wanted on child pornography charges.
Prosecutors said that between December 2022 and November 2023, Wright persuaded three girls, all 8 or 9 years old, to send him sexually explicit material through social media. When the girls hesitated to continue, Wright allegedly threatened to expose their behavior to family members and classmates.
In one case, he sent a video of child pornography to the phone of one victim’s mother, according to court filings.
Investigators linked multiple social media accounts and IP addresses to Wright through a search warrant. They said they also found explicit videos of children on his phone and iCloud account, including recordings that depicted adults engaging in sexual acts with minors.
Wright pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography before Judge Geraldine D’Souza, who sentenced him to eight years on one count and a consecutive seven years on the other. He must register as a sex offender. Prosecutors dropped more than 50 other felony counts as part of the plea agreement.
