Man sentenced for sex assault of teen in DC for Rev. Billy Graham memorial

WASHINGTON — A man who exposed himself and sexually assaulted a teenager in D.C. for Rev. Billy Graham’s memorial service earlier this year was sentenced to more than two years in prison.

Morris Graham, a 27-year-old D.C. resident, was sentenced Friday to 32 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy on Feb. 28 at Union Station.

The boy and his family were visiting from out of town and stopped in Union Station’s food court after attending events honoring the late Rev. Billy Graham at the U.S. Capitol. The teen left his family to find an elevator for his brother, who was in a wheelchair, that would reach the food court.

The victim and Morris Graham were on the elevator at the same time. When they were alone, Graham moved beside the victim and grabbed his left hand, according to prosecutors.

The 14-year-old turned around and Graham exposed himself to the boy, prosecutors said. Graham then forced the teenager to touch his penis, prosecutors added.

The victim ran out of the elevator and found his family. Officials were able to identify Graham based on the victim’s description, surveillance video and previous encounters with him.

Graham was arrested the next day at Union Station and has been in custody since then. In May, he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted second-degree child sexual abuse.

When Graham completes his prison term, he will be placed on 10 years of probation and will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Sarah Beth Hensley

Sarah Beth Hensley is the Digital News Director at WTOP. She has worked several different roles since she began with WTOP in 2013 and has contributed to award-winning stories and coverage on the website.

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