Accused sex trafficker behind bars on no bond

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Agents with Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, along with assistance from local law enforcement,  have arrested a 23-year-old man who is accused of luring two young women into an alleged sex trafficking operation. 

Martin Thomas Wright III is charged with human trafficking a minor and 19 counts of child pornography.  Investigators said a teenage girl told her school resource officer that she and another 16-year-old girl were being picked up by Wright after school, then taken to homes and hotels to perform sexual acts.

"He would contact young females via social media or through acquaintances and then he would befriend them, he would offer them ways to make money, he would entice them, he would manipulate them into acts they were not comfortable doing," said MBI Director Ron Stucker.  

"This is particularly appalling to me, because it could be my granddaughter or your granddaughter or your daughter that is involved in this," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

Investigators said beyond the teens being forced into prostitution, Wright would take inappropriate pictures of the girls, and post them online. They said Wright was subtle in his approach with the teens but turned manipulative.

"Hi, would you like to become a prostitute and have sex with strangers multiple times a night," said Stucker. "That's not how he approached this, it's a soft approach, a romantic approach, make you feel special and here's what I need you to do."

Local law enforcement suggest involved parents are their best defense. "We invest our lives in the lives of our children, know who they're talking to, know who they're friends are talking to, pay attention to what's going on in their lives," says Orlando Police Chief John Mina.

Wright is currently in the Orange County Jail on a no bond status. If convicted, he faces life in person.