Winterport Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Press Release

Steven Mathis used a chat platform to send child pornography to others

BANGOR, Maine: A Winterport man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for distributing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Steven Mathis, 35, to 240 months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Mathis pleaded guilty on April 25, 2024.

According to court records, in August 2021, Mathis used an online chat platform to discuss child sexual abuse material with others. In one exchange, another user requested a sexually explicit image of a child, and Mathis provided an image. In an interview with the Maine State Police, Mathis admitted that he had distributed child sexual abuse material online.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Maine State Police investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material - in legal terms, "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 shared or viewed. File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org or 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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Updated October 1, 2024