Boynton Beach Man Pleads Guilty To Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material Over The Internet

Jacksonville, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Timothy Burch Morris (46, Boynton Beach) has pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet. Morris faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 27, 2025.

According to court documents, on November 20, 2023, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville was working on a particular social media application (app) to identify individuals who were attempting to sexually exploit children. The UC joined an online public chat room on the app posing as an adult with access to a child. App user "timkw37138," who was later identified as Morris, posted within this public group, "Hi all. 44 very well hung male in Florida. My PM is open." Later that day, the UC and Morris began texting using the private messaging feature of the app. Morris typed, "I just love stroking to guys [sic] daughters," and stated that his favorite age is "prob 13-15 give or take a couple years neither side." When he was told that UC had access to an even younger child, Morris replied, "Ow wow / That could work." When asked to verify that he was "legit," Morris sent the UC an explicit photo of himself taken in a hotel room. Five minutes later, Morris sent the UC two videos that depicted minors being sexually abused. During another online conversation, Morris sent the UC another explicit photo of himself.

After further investigation, FBI agents arrested Morris near his residence in Boynton Beach. During a search incident to his arrest, agents seized Morris's phone. A search of the device revealed several photos consistent with those Morris had sent to UC. During an interview with law enforcement, Morris admitted having the "timkw37138" user account on the app for more than five years and stated that he had recently deleted the app from his phone because he started having conversations that he should not be having.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, with the assistance from the Boynton Beach Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.