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The founder of a Maine youth theater and former Catholic school teacher faces another 30 years behind bars for sexually abusing children.
Henry Eichman, 64, of Tophsam pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to sexually exploiting children, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
That comes after a Brunswick landscaping business employee discovered two laptops and several hard drives hidden under a kayak on the company’s property. The worker opened the devices and discovered files depicting the sexual abuse of children, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The worker recognized Eichman, a former employee of the company, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
A subsequent review of the devices found more than 500 images and videos of child sexual abuse, including videos showing Eichman setting up recording devices and sexually abusing four children between 2014 and 2016, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Eichman was already serving a 10-year sentence for sexually abusing children.
He was arrested in September 2016 after three girls came forward to report that Eichman had sexually abused them. The abuse happened over a number of years during sleepovers at his Topsham home and during rehearsals for the Midcoast Youth Theater, which Eichman founded in 2003. The initial victims who came forward were all theater members.
He also inappropriately touched children over several years at St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick, where he worked as a part-time drama teacher and substitute from 2008 until his arrest in 2016. Eichman also participated in after-school programs there. Some children said the abuse took place from the second to the sixth grade.
Eichman entered an Alford plea to nine felonies and three misdemeanors for sexually abusing children. As part of a plea deal, another eight charges were dismissed. In an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt but accepts that prosecutors have enough evidence for conviction.
Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings sentenced Eichman to 10 years in prison for each felony, to be served concurrently, and 364 days in prison for three misdemeanor counts, all to be served concurrently. Eichman also was sentenced to four years of supervised release.
With these new charges, Eichman faces up to 30 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and five years of supervised release.
Eichman is currently incarcerated at the Maine State Prison in Warren, according to the Maine Department of Corrections.
