HSI Baltimore investigation lands sex offender in prison for 45 years for sexually exploiting 2 minor girls, producing child pornography
BALTIMORE – An investigation led by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore field office resulted in a 45-year federal prison sentence, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for a registered sex offender for the sexual exploitation of two minor girls to produce child pornography. Dennis James Harrison, 40, of Rocky Ridge, received the lengthy sentence Jan. 3 after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting the minors, who were between the ages of 10 and 12 at the time of the abuse.
According to the HSI Baltimore investigation, between 2018 and 2021, Harrison sexually exploited two minor girls beginning when the one victim was 12 years old and when the other victim was 10 to 11 years old. In addition to exploiting the minor girls, Harrison recorded the meetings to produce child pornography.
“This sentence is a great example of what can be accomplished when federal and local law enforcement agencies work in collaboration,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of HSI Baltimore. “Sexual exploitation is a repulsive crime, even more so when the victims are young and defenseless. We work tirelessly to support victims of sexual abuse, and encourage all victims to contact law enforcement, regardless of whether the abuse was recent or in the past. Protecting children from abuse by educating our communities and holding offenders accountable, is a priority for our office.”
The investigation revealed that from at least September 2020 through August 2021, Harrison engaged in sexual activity with Victim 1, a 12-year-old girl who resided in Pennsylvania. Harrison picked-up Victim 1 from her residence and drove her to various locations in Maryland, including Harrison’s residence, where he engaged in illegal sexual activity with her. The defendant produced images and videos of his sexual abuse of Victim 1 and enticed Victim 1 to send him sexually explicit photographs of herself.
Further revealed in the HSI Baltimore investigation, Harrison used a hidden camera and a mobile phone in 2018 to produce a series of images depicting Victim 2, a 10-to-11-year-old girl, nude and partially nude in a bedroom and bathroom in Pennsylvania and in a bathroom in Maryland. The images were taken without the knowledge of Victim 2.
Special agents from HSI Baltimore, in cooperation with local law enforcement officers, executed a search warrant at Harrison’s residence, Aug. 12, 2021. The investigators recovered a cellphone used by Harrison to film his sexual abuse of Victim 1, as well as several digital devices.
HSI Baltimore conducted a forensic examination of all the devices and located files depicting the sexual abuse of children on each one, including depictions of infants and toddlers. In total, investigators discovered more than 14,000 files of child pornography on Harrison’s devices.
Harrison also had an August 2009 conviction in Adams County, Pennsylvania, for possession of child pornography and was a registered sex offender at the time of his arrest in this federal case.
Upon his release from prison, Harrison must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
This investigation was led by HSI Baltimore, with significant assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and local law enforcement agencies.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Updated: