Ex-Ars Technica reporter convicted of soliciting sex from minors

A former reporter for Conde Nast-owned Ars Technica was convicted of trying to engage in sex with minors and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, reports Keith Kelly of the New York Post.

Kelly reports, “Peter Bright, 39, a tech reporter and editor for Ars Technica, was arrested in a public park during a sting operation in May 2019 after reaching out to an FBI agent posing as the mother of a 7-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy.

“‘Over the course of hundreds of chat communications, Bright discussed with the undercover agent Bright’s plan to meet the minors to engage in sexual activity,’ according to the FBI. He asked for photos of the children and said he intended to rape the girl, the feds said.

“The FBI said it initially found Bright on KinkD, a social media fetish and BDSM platform.

“Bright’s defense had claimed he was engaging in ‘age play’ with consenting adults, and when he suspected he was dealing with a real mother offering sex with her minor children, he claimed he decided to collect evidence to turn over to law enforcement officials.”

Read more here.