U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker | U.S. Department of Justice
A registered sex offender in Columbus, Ohio, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the possession and distribution of images and videos depicting extreme child abuse. Jeremiah Morrison, 38, obtained these materials through the dark web and exchanged them for content involving the sexual abuse of children.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker commented on the case: “The horrors in the files that Morrison collected, viewed, possessed, distributed and discussed on the dark web are so devoid of humanity, it is truly hard to put into words. The abhorrent content he sought included child mutilation and death, sadistic and masochistic torture of babies and toddlers, infants subjected to anguish and agony, all for the sexual gratification of sexually deviant individuals like Morrison.” Parker emphasized that such individuals pose a significant danger to society.
In April 2023, information about Morrison's activities surfaced when the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force discovered him uploading child pornography. A subsequent search warrant executed in June 2023 revealed that Morrison’s cell phone contained thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material involving very young children.
Further investigation uncovered additional disturbing content showing the torture and killing of children. These were reportedly used by Morrison as trade items to acquire more child sexual abuse material.
Morrison has previous convictions related to crimes against children, including a 2012 incident involving an 11-year-old boy at a public library. He was indicted on these recent charges in September 2023 and has been detained since then. After pleading guilty in April 2024, he received a life sentence under court supervision post-incarceration along with an order to pay restitution of at least $3,000 per victim.
The sentence was announced by several officials including U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker; Angie M. Salazar from Homeland Security Investigations Detroit; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; and members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is handling the prosecution.
