Cody J. Merrill, Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material, Maine 2025

Gorham Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Porn, Faces Up to 40 Years in Prison

Cody J. Merrill, 33, of Gorham, Maine, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

According to court records, Merrill had been previously convicted of unlawful sexual conduct involving a minor in York County Superior Court. On February 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at his residence, resulting in the seizure of multiple digital media devices containing child sexual abuse material files.

During a recorded interview with investigators, Merrill admitted to accessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet.

Merrill faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum supervised release term of life.

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.

Merrill's crime is part of the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. If 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.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child sexual abuse material, visit https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the federal government. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/gorham-man-pleads-guilty-distributing-and-possessing-child-sexual-abuse-material