Lilburn man, 76, sentenced to 100 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Gwinnett County jury returned a guilty verdict on Thursday, April 25, against a Lilburn man who had more than 50,000 images and 200 videos of children being sexually abused and tortured.

Following the verdict, Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Deborah Fluker followed the State’s recommendation and sentenced 76-year-old Roger Sheman Wright to 100 years in prison plus 20 years of probation. Wright also must register as a sex offender for life.

Jurors returned the guilty verdict against Wright on all 10 counts of sexual exploitation of children.

“Each one of these children in these images are victims of horrific sexual abuse. Wright continued to abuse them by downloading and sharing these images,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This is why the District Attorney’s Office is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force and why the members of our Special Victims Unit will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who exploits children.”

During the trial, jurors heard from Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force members about how they found child sexual abuse materials, including videos of children bound and being sexually assaulted inside Wright’s home. In 2022, police searched Wright’s home and seized numerous electronic devices found to contain child pornography.

The Special Victims Unit stated it is grateful to the invaluable investigative work provided by the Lilburn Police Department with the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the DA’s Computer Forensics Lab.