Anthony Wright, 13th defendant charged in missing girl case, indicted, officials say

A 13th person charged in the nearly monthlong disappearance of a 14-year-old East Patchogue girl was indicted Friday, officials said.

The indictment was sealed so details were not immediately known at a court hearing Friday, but the man, Anthony Wright, 40, of Amityville, pleaded not guilty earlier this week to charges of second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child, according to court records.

Wright allegedly had sex with the teenager at his home on Silverpine Drive in Amityville late on Dec. 22 into the following morning, according to the criminal complaint charging him.

Wright "denies having any involvement with this girl," his court-appointed attorney, Eric Besso, of Sayville, said outside court Friday.

Newsday is not naming the teen because she is a minor and the alleged victim of sex abuse.

Wright did not appear in court in Central Islip on Friday. Suffolk County District Judge Evan Zuckerman on Tuesday set bail for Wright at $500,000 cash or $1 million bond, according to court records. He remains in custody, records show.

Suffolk investigators have said Wright’s arrest was based on a sworn written statement the victim provided on Feb. 18, according to the criminal complaint. It was also based on an interview police did with Wright on Monday, the complaint said.

Wright's arrest was the first in the case since Feb. 8, according to court records. Eight men including him have now been charged with raping the teen after she left her home Dec. 9, Newsday has reported.

A total of 13 people have been arrested in the overall case, which also includes allegations of child sex trafficking and narcotics charges. At least 10 people have been indicted in connection with the case. All the defendants have denied the charges.

The girl was found aboard a boat at White Cap Marina in Islip in early January, according to court documents. The boat owner, Francis Buckheit, 64, of East Islip, allegedly kidnapped and raped the teenager while she stayed on his yacht from Dec. 13 to Jan. 3, prosecutors allege. Buckheit was the first person arrested in the case.

The girl was also raped or sexually abused by other men at locations including homes, a car and a state-run children's mental health facility in Suffolk where she was being treated after she was found by police, according to court documents.

Some suspects including two women trafficked the girl in exchange for drugs and money, prosecutors allege.

No new date was available for Wright's next court appearance.