Mississippi Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Production, Distribution, Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON – Robert Morris of Crystal Springs, Miss., was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Donald R. Burkhalter and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. Morris was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term and to pay a $1,500 fine.

Morris pleaded guilty on June 2, 2010, to four counts of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography before U.S. District Court Judge William H. Barbour Jr. According to court documents and proceedings, ICE special agents and local police officers executed a federal search warrant on Jan. 15, 2009, for child pornography at Morris’s residence. A forensic review of a computer owned by Morris revealed numerous images of child pornography. According to information presented in court, Morris admitted to ICE agents that he had child pornography on his computer, that he had chatted with others online about having sex with children, and that he had knowingly received and traded pornographic images of children. A subsequent forensic review of Morris’ computer revealed that Morris had molested and photographed young teenage girls at his home on numerous occasions.

"Robert Morris’s crimes ran the full gamut of child pornography offenses – from production and distribution to receipt and possession," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. "We can never forget that real children are being abused, then victimized repeatedly, as images of their abuse are passed from person to person. We are committed to investigating and prosecuting anyone who perpetuates this chain of exploitation – from those who create these horrific images, to those who send and receive them."

"All children have an absolute right to grow up free from the fear of sexual exploitation," said Raymond R. Parmer Jr., Special Agent in Charge of ICE’s Office of Homeland Security Investigation’s in New Orleans. "ICE relentlessly pursues predators who sexually abuse children, whether that abuse is physical in nature or if it’s accomplished by exploiting their images. The sentencing of Morris sends a strong message that ICE will not tolerate such despicable crime. Our agents will continue to police cyber space and target those who travel abroad to exploit one of the most vulnerable segments of our society- our children."

This case was investigated by ICE and the Crystal Springs, Miss., Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda R. Haynes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi and Trial Attorney Andrew McCormack of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.