PORTLAND, Maine — A Wisconsin man has been charged in federal court in Portland with transporting child pornography depicting children as young as 1 years old being sexually assaulted.
Ryan Jeremiah Abbott, 22, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the Class B felonies, which were allegedly committed in October and December 2014, according to a criminal complaint filed by Special Agent David C. Fife of the Homeland Security Investigations office in Portland.
Abbott allegedly received and forwarded to others, including an undercover officer, 145 videos of children as young as 1 years old being sexually assaulted.
A search warrant of Abbott’s email account allegedly revealed more than 3,400 emails involving the solicitation and exchange of child pornography
Abbott is charged with two counts of the federal crime of transportation of child pornography.
He was arrested Dec. 23, 2014, in Wisconsin, and the case was transferred to U.S. District Court in Maine because the emails were received in Maine and the investigation was conducted in this state.
At a Feb. 18 detention hearing, Abbott was ordered held because the case alleges crimes of violence, and Magistrate Judge John H. Rich III determined there was a significant risk that Abbott would flee, according to court documents.
On Friday, Abbott pleaded not guilty and was ordered held until trial, which is tentatively scheduled for May.