Houma Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

Reher Morris, 28, of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty yesterday to receipt of child pornography, marking a grim end to a federal investigation that uncovered more than 12,000 images and 115 videos of child sexual exploitation on his personal device.

The probe began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged suspicious activity linked to Morris. A joint task force comprising U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations’ Cyber Crime Unit traced the digital trail to Morris’s workplace in Houma, where he allegedly downloaded illicit material during work hours.

On December 7, 2015, agents executed a search warrant and seized an Apple iPhone belonging to Morris. Forensic analysis revealed the staggering volume of child pornography—graphic content depicting the sexual abuse of minors, some of whom appeared to be toddlers. The evidence painted a disturbing picture of prolonged criminal behavior.

Morris now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and up to twenty years behind bars. He will also be subjected to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. As part of his conviction, he must register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo has scheduled sentencing for February 2, 2017. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat the rampant spread of child sexual exploitation through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite commended the relentless work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations’ Cyber Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, who serves as Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Fraud Section Chief, is handling the prosecution.