A Minnesota judge has convicted a former Minnesota Teacher of the Year of sexually abusing a 14-year-old student.
According to KMSP, Abdul Jameel Wright was found guilty on Wednesday after waiving a jury trial.
The charges stemmed from a 2017 report by the victim’s mother, who told police her daughter was repeatedly assaulted by Wright.
The girl testified that Wright began the abuse shortly after he was named Teacher of the Year in early 2016.
She told the court the abuse happened more than “50 times” at different locations, including the Best Academy in Minneapolis.
Minnesota teacher of the year found guilty of raping, sexually abusing student
Abdul Wright was taken into custody following the verdict, and he remains in Hennepin County Jail at this time. He could face up to 12 to 14 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/6uZs8HIsHi
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) September 12, 2025
She also described incidents in Wright’s car, at her family’s apartment, and at a house where he was living.
The student said Wright required her to use contraceptives on a weekly basis while the abuse continued.
Her father said that justice had “prevailed” after the verdict, while her attorneys praised her decision to speak publicly.
One lawyer said the victim “chose to use her voice to courageously expose Abdul Wright’s violations.”
The victim is also pursuing a civil lawsuit against Wright and the school’s former leadership.
She said, “I think that his status and him being Teacher of the Year really was a reason that a lot of people turned a blind eye.”
The court also heard audio in which Wright admitted to the abuse while pleading with the girl’s mother not to go to the police.
“I thank God this morning when I didn’t have the police at my door, I swear to God I did,” Wright said in the recording, according to KMSP.
Wright later claimed he fabricated the confession to make the matter “go away.”
KMSP previously reported that two other Best Academy teachers told police Wright assaulted them years earlier, though no charges were filed.
He resigned in 2012 but later returned to the school.
Wright is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 9.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Wright could face up to 14 years in prison.
In 2016, WCCO described Wright as the youngest Teacher of the Year recipient at the time and the first African-American man to win.
Friday, Education Minnesota’s website omits his name from its list of honorees, skipping directly from 2015 to 2017.
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