PORTLAND, Maine — A Sanford man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland on Thursday for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Joseph Daniel Zoll, 63, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maine said in a news release.
"According to court documents, Zoll shared child sexual abuse material with a child sex trafficker in the Philippines and paid the trafficker to sexually abuse a prepubescent minor over a live streaming video chat platform," the release stated. "For around two years, Zoll communicated with the trafficker and repeatedly instructed them how to abuse the child, watching over video calls."
Zoll reportedly engaged in similar conduct with other child sex traffickers on the same platform for years, according to the release.
"Zoll frequently recorded the live streaming video calls, which he would then show to other traffickers when instructing them on how to sexually abuse children during their own calls," the release added.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in New England. Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff for the District of Maine prosecuted the case, according to the release.
"It is difficult to put into words the horror and pain experienced by the children abused at Zoll’s behest. Not only did he direct the sexual abuse of several children, he used the videos of that abuse to teach others how to do the same, equipping more predators with the tools to hurt children," Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, said in the release. "Today’s sentence puts Zoll behind bars and away from the means to abuse more children. We will continue to work alongside our partners in Maine and around the world to detect and end this type of sex trafficking."
"Joseph Zoll paid for and directed the sexual abuse of children overseas from the comfort of his home in Maine, destroying lives half a world away," U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee said in the release. "That Zoll caused the abuse of young children to occur and observed and shared it with others, which led to the sexual abuse of additional victims, is beyond sickening and heartbreaking. Today’s sentence ensures that he will no longer be able to victimize another child. I commend the extraordinary work of HSI in this operation."
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine, reports of child sexual exploitation are increasing. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2022. These reports included over 80,000 online enticements of children for sexual acts—an 82 percent increase from 2021—and over 31 million reports of child sexual abuse materials. The NCMEC said victimization can take place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, and gaming platforms.
How to report a crime
To make a CyberTipline Report, visit report.cybertip.org.
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.
Zoll’s case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.