A former associate dean at the University of Virginia who pleaded guilty in a child pornography case was sentenced Monday.
Michael G. Morris, of Crozet, Virginia, was sentenced to 106 months in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for two counts of distributing and one count of possessing child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the crimes earlier in the year after originally pleading not guilty in December.
“Morris was an associate dean at one of our country’s top universities, but instead of inspiring young minds academically, he was sharing and viewing pornographic images of young children,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a press release.
Court documents show that an undercover law enforcement officer downloaded sexually explicit videos of minors from Morris on a file sharing website. Morris was indicted in November, and investigators found computers and media items in Morris' home that also contained child pornography.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates that those who trade and possess child pornography, no matter what positions of authority they may hold, will face the consequences for fueling an industry that causes immense damage to children," Caldwell said.
