JACKSON, Miss.–A Mississippi man pleaded guilty in federal court to four counts of producing, one count of distributing, one count of receiving and two counts of possessing child pornography.
Robert Morris, 45, of Crystal Springs, Miss., was charged with eight counts involving visual images of minor children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
On Jan. 15, 2009, ICE agents executed a federal search warrant for child pornography at Morris’ residence. A forensic preview of Morris’ computer conducted by an ICE computer forensic specialist found numerous images of child pornography.
During the execution of the search warrant, Morris admitted that he had child pornography on his computers, 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 by an ICE computer forensic specialist and the High Tech Investigative Unit of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section revealed that Morris had molested and photographed young teenage girls at his home on numerous occasions.
“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 the ICE Office of Investigations 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. ICE will not tolerate such despicable crimes. Our agents will continue to police cyberspace and target those who travel abroad to exploit one of the most vulnerable segments of our society — our children.”
This case was part of Operation Predator, which is a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested almost 12,800 individuals.
