KNOXVILLE, TN—On Sept. 3, 2014, James Robert Morton, 46, of Rockford, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 88 months in prison by the Honorable Leon Jordan, U.S. District Judge. Morton pleaded guilty in August 2013 to federal charges of knowingly distributing child pornography.

Upon his release from prison, Morton will serve a life term of supervised release during which his activities will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office. Morton was further ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution to victims whose digital images were distributed by him. Also, as a result of the conviction, the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act will require Morton to register upon his release from prison with the state sex offender registry anywhere he resides, is employed, or is a student.

The conviction and sentencing of Morton was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States.

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. 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 victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”