A Tennessee man who spent years fostering children was arrested in Florida after authorities say child sexual abuse images were found on his phone while he and his family were returning from a cruise. Federal agents charged Jason Alan Miller, 48, with transportation and possession of child pornography based on an affidavit that describes what was discovered during a border inspection. The case has stunned the community that once saw him as a caregiver and has raised fresh questions about device searches at ports of entry.
Miller reportedly returned on a Caribbean cruise with his pregnant wife and eight children, ages 5 through 12, seven of whom he had formally adopted after fostering them. Federal officials arrested him on Sept. 13 and booked him into a Broward County jail, and the affidavit lays out the steps that led to the criminal charges. The details paint a methodical investigation that began the moment the family stepped off the ship at the Port of Miami.
After disembarking, Customs and Border Protection selected Miller for a secondary inspection, and officers examined his personal belongings and electronic devices. Agents say they inspected a Samsung Galaxy phone that Miller unlocked after being asked for the passcode. What followed was a search under border search authority that agents say uncovered suspected child sexual abuse material saved to the device.
While searching the device ‘pursuant to border search authority,’ officers found several photos of suspected child sexual abuse material in the device’s saved Google Photos application in a folder named ‘telegram,’ according to the affidavit. The affidavit further states that a Homeland Security Investigations agent observed a screenshot of a folder titled ‘6yo_rare’ containing multiple images of child sexual abuse material. That screenshot is central to the government’s evidence and is described in detail in the affidavit.
Authorities say the screenshot showed a folder labeled ‘6yo_rare’ and that investigators identified numerous illicit images. The affidavit also reports that Miller admitted he knew there was child pornography on his phone when questioned by investigators. Those admissions, the screenshot, and the saved photos are the core pieces the prosecution will use if the case goes to trial.
Local reporting and the affidavit describe Miller’s long record of fostering, stating that he had taken in about 20 children over the last seven years and later adopted several of them. Neighbors and community members who once praised his work in the foster system are now left grappling with the allegations and the emotional fallout for the children involved. Agencies that place children rely on vetting and oversight, and cases like this renew calls for more transparency and stronger safeguards.
If convicted on both federal counts, Miller faces a maximum combined sentence of up to 30 years in prison, according to statutory penalties for these offenses. The charges of transportation and possession of child pornography are treated seriously in federal court and carry significant prison terms, fines, and supervised release requirements. Prosecutors will likely highlight the alleged possession of images that depict very young victims as an aggravating factor.
Questions about how and when border agents can search phones have surfaced in this case because the inspection happened at a port of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection exercises broad authority to inspect people and belongings arriving from outside the country, and the legal framework gives agents latitude to examine electronic devices at ports. That authority, however, sits against a backdrop of rights discussions and civil liberties concerns about warrantless searches.
All persons, baggage, and merchandise arriving in the Customs territory of the United States from places outside thereof are liable to inspection and search by a Customs officer. Port directors and special agents in charge are authorized to cause inspection, examination, and search to be made under section 467, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/19/1467), of persons, baggage, or merchandise, even though such persons, baggage, or merchandise were inspected, examined, searched, or taken on board the vessel at another port or place in the United States or the Virgin Islands, if such action is deemed necessary or appropriate.
Civil liberties groups have warned travelers that protections against warrantless searches are limited within the zones near ports of entry, and travelers should be mindful that electronic devices can be inspected. The ACLU noted that U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry into the United States for “refusing to produce passwords, provide device access, or submit electronic devices for a search.” The organization also warned that devices could be seized for long periods and that noncitizen visitors who refuse access risk being denied entry.
The arrest has prompted questions for the agencies involved about how the investigation will proceed, what impact it will have on the children living in Miller’s home, and how foster care systems screen and monitor caregivers. Local child welfare officials and federal investigators typically coordinate when allegations intersect with foster care placements, but those processes often move slowly and leave families anxious. Advocates say the priority should be the safety and well-being of any children affected while the legal process unfolds.
Miller’s case is now in federal hands and will proceed through the district court system, where prosecutors will have to present the evidence gathered during the border inspection and subsequent steps. Defense attorneys in similar cases have challenged border searches and asserted constitutional protections, which means legal arguments over the scope of CBP authority may become part of the record. For now, the focus remains on the alleged victims and on ensuring thorough, careful handling of the criminal investigation.
An embedded video in court filings and media reports provides additional context and has been circulated in public reporting on the arrest, but the criminal case will ultimately turn on the affidavit, the images, and witness testimony presented in court. Community members and former neighbors continue to process the shock, and child welfare advocates are calling for reviews of how foster placements are overseen. The next steps will include preliminary hearings and possible indictments as the federal process moves forward.
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