SANFORD, Maine — A man from Sanford pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual exploitation of children and distribution of a video depicting the sexual abuse of children.
In a release Wednesday, the Department of Justice said court documents indicated Joseph Zoll, 63, of Sanford used an online chat and webcam application from his home in Maine to direct an individual in the Philippines to livestream a video of herself sexually abusing a prepubescent child.
Video files found on electronic devices in Zoll’s home confirm that he had similar online relationships with multiple other individuals who, at Zoll’s direction, would livestream video depictions of themselves sexually abusing children for Zoll, according to federal officials.
Zoll pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography, the release said. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine Zoll's sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, the Department of Justice said.
Homeland Security Investigations New England is investigating the case, the Department of Justice said. 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 are prosecuting the case, according to the release.
The Department of Justice said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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, click here.
