Whidbey pair tied to child porn ring

By Cathy Logg

Herald Writer

When Everett resident Donald Leroy Keffler got off a bus in California last week, federal agents arrested him and seized his luggage, which included two computer hard drives and two cell phones.

They also seized a brown teddy bear with a blue dress.

Federal investigators haven’t said whether Keffler planned to give the stuffed toy to an 11-year-old girl he allegedly went to California to visit, but they’ve asked a judge to order him to forfeit the bear, the computers and phones.

Through a grand jury indictment of Keffler in California and a criminal complaint against Oak Harbor residents James Lee Wright and Tracey Lynn Wright in Washington, federal investigators have linked the trio in an Internet child pornography case.

James Lee Wright, 30, and Tracey Lynn Wright, 29, each have been charged with aiding and abetting in the possession of a computer that contained images of child pornography that was transported or shipped in interstate commerce, possessing child pornography and receipt of child pornography. They appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Ricardo Martinez in Tacoma and were ordered detained.

The indictment charges Keffler with attempting to sexually exploit a minor, distributing sexually explicit images of a minor (two counts), transporting images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, possessing matter containing sexually explicit images of minors, and criminal forfeiture.

The case came to light May 20 when FBI agents arrested Keffler, 41, after he stepped off a bus in Marysville, Calif., north of Sacramento, and picked up his luggage. He expected to meet the young girl, but instead was met by federal agents, officials say. The young girl, referred to as "Holly," was actually an FBI informant who had chatted with Keffler online, by phone and by e-mail, authorities said.

Keffler, known on the Internet as "Familiar Spirit," "Lucky Dog" and "Spirit-in-the-sky," told the informant he has had sex with children as young as a 17-month-old girl, the daughter of a woman he met online, court papers say. He sent his online contact 45 pictures, including some of him having sex with young children, and young children engaged in sexual acts, authorities say. He also reportedly told her about his friends, the Wrights.

He told the informant that he’d had sexual contact with Tracey Wright’s 5-year-old and 2-year-old sons, and that the Wrights "do sexual things" with the boys as well, court papers say. Tracey Wright operates child pornography chat rooms and goes by the screen name "princesslynn," Keffler allegedly told the informant.

Tracey Wright also is the natural mother of a 13-year-old sex offender who was adopted at age 2 by his grandmother. Nicholas Stroeder, 13, is a Level 3 sex offender and considered so dangerous that he had round-the-clock supervision by a male caseworker.

At one point, he spent his days in a state Department of Social and Health Services office during the day and his nights in residential crisis centers. After being moved among several foster homes and care facilities in Washington, he recently was transferred to a facility in another state.

In a telephone call to "Holly" monitored by the FBI and police in Yuba, Calif., prior to his arrest, Keffler discussed his plans to have her spend the summer with him in Everett and his plans to photograph her sexually, authorities said.

Keffler’s arraignment is scheduled Wednesday. He is being held without bail pending trial, said Patricia Pontello, assistant to the U.S. attorney in Sacramento.

You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437

or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.