Men from Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle pleaded guilty on Friday to child pornography charges in two unrelated cases.
Joseph Ebner, 32, of Presque Isle pleaded guilty to charges of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material after he sent multiple sexually explicit videos to an undercover agent, while expressing a desire to molest a nine-year-old girl.
Ebner began communicating with the undercover agent, who was posing as the father of a nine-year-old child. Following Ebner’s statements about the girl and his distribution of the sexual abuse material, investigators executed a search warrant at his home.
During the warrant execution, Ebner admitted that he sent child pornography to the undercover agent, and an examination of his electronic devices revealed multiple images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.
Following his guilty plea, Ebner faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years for each charge, amounting to a potential 40-year maximum sentence. He also faces up to $500,000 in fines and a lifetime of supervised release.
On the same day as Ebner’s plea, Dustin Davenport, 30, of New Sweden, also pleaded guilty to charges of distributing, receiving, and possessing child sexual abuse material
Investigators identified Davenport as the owner of an instant messaging account that was trading in child sexual abuse materials, prompting them to secure a search warrant for his residence.
Davenport reportedly told investigators during the warrant execution that he was actively trading child sexual abuse material over the internet, and a search of his phone revealed multiple images and videos of child pornography.
For his charges, Davenport faces a combined minimum of five years in prison and a maximum 60-year sentence, along with a potential $750,000 in fines and a maximum life term of supervised release.
