Athens County Man Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

COLUMBUS, Ohio – James R. Harrah, 51, formerly of Albany, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison for receiving child pornography.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Westerville Police Chief Joseph Morbitzer and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence handed down today by Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

According to court documents, in March 2015, an FBI Task Force Officer received information from a tip submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tipline regarding images of child pornography that had been uploaded through a Gmail account.

Investigators linked Harrah to the activity through computer IP addresses and his phone number. Further investigation revealed additional cyber tipline reports and incident reports from Google, Inc. and Twitter related to the uploading of child pornography of young females.

One of Harrah’s social media profiles used the username “I Luvem Yung” and the description “Luv girls 10-15 if you in Ohio Hmu if U wanna play…let’s make a baby.”

Forensic examination of Harrah’s phones revealed more than 500 images and 80 videos of child pornography. When law enforcement officers submitted the recovered child pornography files to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, it was determined that at least 14 identified child victims were depicted.

Harrah was charged by a Bill of Information and pleaded guilty on July 21, 2016 to one count of receiving child pornography in interstate commerce.

The defendant was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release. During that time, any cell phone or computer that he owns, uses or has access to that is connected to the Internet will be monitored and reviewed.

“The files recovered in this case confirm that child pornography is not a victimless crime,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “These were missing child victims who had been sexually abused, and Harrah’s receipt of images of that abuse warrants the sentence he received today.”

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jessica H. Kim, who is representing the United States in this case.

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