Penobscot Man Faces 10-20 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material Following Guilty Verdict

BANGOR, Maine:  A Penobscot man was found guilty today of possession of child sexual abuse material. The verdict came after a one-and-a-half-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Bangor with Judge Lance E. Walker presiding.

According to evidence presented at trial, between May 2013 and April 2023, Kevin Lee Ross, 62, knowingly possessed child sexual abuse material. Ross was on supervised release for a 2014 conviction also for possession of child sexual abuse material when probation officers from Bangor searched his home and vehicle and found a cell phone, laptop computer, and external hard drive that contained child sexual abuse material, including both images and videos. Evidence showed that Ross had possessed the laptop and hard drive prior to serving his federal sentence and had started using the devices again where he was released from prison in 2021.

Ross faces a minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison followed by five years to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

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