James Morris, Jr., Attempted Enticement of a Minor, Maryland 2023

Baltimore, Maryland – Former Chief of the Eastern Shore Volunteer Fire Department James Morris, Jr. was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III handed down the sentence to the 70-year-old Morris, who pleaded guilty to the charge on the same day.

According to his plea agreement, Morris admitted to using his position in the community to meet victims that he then sexually abused. He used his role as a bus driver for the Talbot County Public Schools and as a Little League umpire to meet the victims.

Morris' abuse of the minors spanned several decades, including during his time as Chief of the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department.

The victims reported meeting Morris in various ways, and he was identified as the suspect after a Cybertip was received by the Maryland State Police from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2017.

Law enforcement seized several electronic devices from Morris' residence, which showed that he used a specific Yahoo e-mail address to respond to an advertisement on Craigslist titled 'Underage boy looking for daddy – m4m.'

During an online conversation with a 17-year-old minor male victim, Morris asked to visit the victim at his residence in Virginia and requested a sexually explicit photo of the victim, which the victim provided to Morris.

Morris pleaded guilty in Talbot County Circuit Court to six sex offenses, including the sexual abuse of five separate victims beginning in the 1980s, as well as one count of possession of child pornography in 2017, and one count of solicitation of child pornography related to this case.

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.

Defendant/Respondent: James Morris, Jr.

Criminal Charges: Attempted enticement of a minor

City and State: Baltimore, Maryland

Date: March 29, 2019 (plea) and March 29, 2019 (sentencing)

Sentence: 60 years in federal prison

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/former-chief-eastern-shore-volunteer-fire-department-pleads-guilty-and-sentenced-60-years