Tips to NCMEC CyberTipline Lead to Guilty Plea from Lewiston Man for Possessing, Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

According to court records, in June 2022, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (MSPCCU) received two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and traced the identified phone number to Harold Clayton III, 35. In September 2022, MSPCCU and the Lewiston Police Department executed a search warrant at Clayton’s residence. A cell phone and laptop seized from the residence contained multiple images and videos of children, some as young as toddlers, being sexually abused by adult men. The cell phone also contained Telegram Messenger communications in which Clayton distributed such images and videos.

Clayton faces 5–20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution of child pornography charge and up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the possession charge. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and MSPCCU investigated the case with assistance from the Lewiston Police Department.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: 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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