A Gardiner man has pleaded guilty to producing and possessing child pornography originated in the Philippines.
Richard Bailey, 67, changed his plea to guilty on Monday at U.S. District Court in Bangor. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges in April in the same court shortly after his arrest.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says the investigation began after agents were tipped off that Bailey was uploading child pornography to various websites.
“The investigation revealed that the defendant produced child pornography by encouraging adults in the Philippines during online chats to engage in sexual activity with children that was videotaped, photographed, and disseminated in real time over the Internet,” the release says. “A forensic examination of the defendant’s electronic devices revealed multiple images and videos of child pornography including images obtained from the Philippine sex shows.”
An indictment handed up April 12, 2018, charges Bailey with sexual exploitation of a minor and says Baily induced a child around Feb. 8, 2017, “to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct and did aid and abet another person in doing the same.” It says Bailey knew the depiction would be transported in interstate and foreign commerce.
The charge of production of child pornography carries a penalty of between 15 and 30 years in prison.
The second count says Bailey “knowingly possessed” child pornography up until May 4, 2017, that had been shipped through interstate or foreign commerce and that depicted a child under age 12. That carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
