Earl Hardy Morrow, Child Pornography Distribution, OK 2023

Earl Hardy Morrow, 39, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was convicted Wednesday on federal charges after investigators uncovered more than 4,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse on electronic devices in his possession. A federal jury returned guilty verdicts on charges of distribution and receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography following a trial in Tulsa.

The investigation began February 20, 2020, when the Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit detected the transmission of child sexual abuse material via the BitTorrent network from an IP address tied to Morrow’s residence. One final torrent sent to authorities contained multiple videos depicting the rape and molestation of young children, triggering a swift response from law enforcement.

On February 27, 2020, officers executed a search warrant at Morrow’s home. During questioning, Morrow admitted to using BitTorrent on his computer and acknowledged the presence of illegal files. Forensic examination of devices seized from his bedroom revealed a disturbing digital archive of child exploitation material.

Among the evidence: a 32GB thumb drive on his car keys containing 3,140 pictures and 25 videos; his custom-built computer with 546 images and 85 videos plus the qBittorrent software; a laptop with 39 pictures and 79 videos; a second 32GB drive labeled “Daddy’s Collection” — an RTF document authored by Morrow listing child pornography search terms — containing 497 images and 54 videos; and a 2GB drive with five additional videos of child pornography.

The case was led by the Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit with critical support from Homeland Security Investigations. Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson emphasized the broader impact of such crimes: “Individuals like Earl Morrow must be held accountable for their role in a vile industry that preys on children across the globe.”

Morrow’s trial was presided over by Visiting U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of Kansas. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Nassar, Nathan E. Michel, and Stacey P. Todd prosecuted the case. This prosecution was part of Operation Clean Sweep, a Northern District of Oklahoma initiative that charged 33 child predators, and Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide DOJ effort to combat child sexual exploitation online.

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