A Hatfield Township man has pleaded guilty to a possession of child pornography charge following a joint investigation by the Hatfield Township Police Department and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Joseph Morrissey III, 20, pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography on Tuesday morning as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Additional charges of possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility were dropped in exchange for Morrissey’s plea, and a fourth charge of disseminating photos or films of child sex abuse was previously withdrawn during Morrissey’s preliminary hearing in February.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 6, 2023, pending a pre-sentencing investigation. He remains free on $25,000 unsecured bail until that time.
Possession of child pornography — a third-degree felony — carries a maximum sentence of five years in state prison for a first-time offense.
In July 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip regarding a Snapchat user who allegedly sent a video depicting the suspected sexual abuse of a child. A review of the file showed an unidentified juvenile female between the ages of 10 and 14 years old performing oral sex on an adult male, according to the complaint.
Detectives with the Hatfield Township Police Department received the tip on Aug. 16, 2021, and subsequently launched an investigation.
The report states police traced the email and IP addresses contained within the cybertip to 19-year-old Joseph Morrissey and his home on Anthony Drive in the Colmar section of the township. Investigators also filed a search warrant with Snapchat, which allegedly showed that Morrissey had shared the video with a group of users on the social media platform.
The investigation was transferred to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Jan. 5. Two days later, federal, state, and local law enforcement served a search warrant on the home. Morrissey was not home at the time, however he arrived at the scene after receiving a call from investigators, the report states.
Police said Morrissey initially denied owning a Snapchat account, but later admitted to having created a new account after his previous account “got banned” for sending nude photos. When an investigator pointed out that sending nudes was not illegal, Morrissey allegedly said, “young nudes” and began to cry, according to the complaint.
Police said Morrissey would use an unidentified social media site to identify Snapchat users who would trade pornography. Morrissey initially told police that he had traded pics of his ex-girlfriend, however when investigators asked about the age of his ex-girlfriend, Morrissey backtracked and said he instead used images from an unidentified “leaked nudes” website to trade for the first child pornography video, according to the complaint.
Morrissey then traded the first child pornography video for a second, similar video, depicting a juvenile female performing oral sex on an adult male, police said. The report states that Morrissey told investigators that he deleted the files approximately one week after trading for them, as he had felt guilty for masturbating to the videos.
Charges were filed against Morrissey on Jan. 25, and he voluntarily surrendered on Jan. 28, according to court records. District Judge Andrea Duffy arraigned Morrissey that morning and set bail at $25,000 unsecured.
See also:
Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Disabled Sister’s Retirement, Checking Accounts
Mom Accused of Pinning Boy Down at Playground So Her Son Could Beat Him Up Strikes Plea Deal
Former Bucks County Community College Professor Gets Probation for Child Porn Possession
Hatfield Man Headed to State Prison Following Conviction on Rape of a Child Charges
Mother Who Took Toddler on Drug Run to Kensington Sentenced to Probation
