PORTLAND, Maine — A repeat offender was sentenced in a Portland court Tuesday for possessing child sex abuse material.
Mark Burns, 61, of Lewiston was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by eight years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine said in a release.
According to the release, Burns was also ordered to pay $58,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty back at the end of August.
Court records show the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit learned in April 2023 that a computer IP address belonging to Burns had "shared a sexually explicit image of a child under the age of six," the release said.
A search warrant was executed at Burns' home by Homeland Security Investigations agents. During the search, Burns reportedly admitted he had downloaded child sexual abuse material.
"A search of his tablet revealed that it contained 1,103 video files and more than 12,000 images of children ranging in age from infants to young teens," the release stated.
Chief Judge Jon Levy said at the sentencing hearing Tuesday that Burn's collection of child pornography was "immense," and that the volume of the collection was a "significant aggravating factor" in determining Burns' sentence.
Burns was previously convicted in 2016 for possessing sexually explicit material involving a child under the age of 12. He received a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence, according to the release.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.
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