Tukwila, Washington Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

          A 50-year-old Tukwila, Washington man, with a prior state conviction for possession of child pornography, was sentenced July 1, 2019, to six years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.  JEFFREY ALLEN MORRIS was arrested in September 2018, following a cybertip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart sentenced MORRIS to ten years of supervised release to follow prison, telling the defendant that he needed to get control of his demons or he would “spend the rest of his life in prison.”

            According to records filed in the case, the investigation by the Seattle Police and  Homeland Security Investigations began May 10, 2018, when Microsoft Skype reported to NCMEC that a subscriber, MORRIS, had uploaded images of child rape.  Law enforcement confirmed the images were sexual abuse of toddlers.  A review of MORRIS’ Skype chats revealed his interest in sex acts with children as young as 3 years old.  When law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of MORRIS’ residence, forensic analysis revealed hundreds of images of child rape and molestation on his electronic devices.

            MORRIS served a 21-month state sentence in 2007 for possession of images of child pornography.  In that case, he had posted over 100 images of sexually explicit images of child rape and abuse to Yahoo.com profile photos.  A search of his computers at that time revealed he had more than 700 images and 14 movies depicting the sexual abuse of children.

          This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

          The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce led by the Seattle Police Department.

          The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.  Ms. Gregson is a Senior King County Deputy Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.