Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that REHER MORRIS, age 28, of Houma, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced MORRIS to 60 months, followed by 6 years of supervised release. Additionally, MORRIS was ordered to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The joint U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and Louisiana Bureau of Investigations’ Cyber Crime Unit investigation began as a result of a complaint from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators determined MORRIS was downloading images of child pornography at his place of employment in Houma. On December 7, 2015, state and federal investigators executed a search warrant and found MORRIS in possession of an Apple iPhone containing over 12,000 images and 115 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources."
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations’ Cyber Crime Unit in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Fraud Section Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
