A Presque Isle man faces up to 20 years in prison for engaging in online child sexual abuse.
Joseph Ebner, 32, pleaded guilty Friday at U.S. District Court in Bangor to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Ebner shared videos with an undercover agent, who was posing as the father of a 9-year-old girl, and told the agent he wanted to have sexual contact with the girl, according to court records.
Investigators from the FBI, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and Bangor Police Department searched Ebner’s home and interviewed him. Ebner admitted he had communicated with the agent and had sent child sexual abuse materials to him.
Police found multiple images and videos of juvenile sexual abuse on Ebner’s electronic devices, according to court records.
Ebner faces at least five years and up to 20 years in prison for distributing the material, up to 20 years for possessing the material and could be fined up to $250,000 for each charge. He could also face lifetime supervised release.
A federal district court judge will sentence Ebner after the U.S. Probation Office completes an investigative report.
