A 70-year-old Northeast Harbor man has been convicted of failing to register as a sex offender, following a half-day bench trial in federal court.

Jack Palmer, 70, was convicted in federal court in Bangor in 2016 of possessing child pornography. As a result of that conviction, Palmer was required to register as a sex offender in Maine and to update that registration within three days if he changed residences.

However, in November 2020, Palmer moved from Portland to Northeast Harbor without notifying the Maine Sex Offender Registry. He lived at this residence until his arrest in April 2021.

The evidence presented at trial revealed that Palmer failed to comply with the registration requirements, despite being aware of his obligations.

Palmer faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation 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.

The United States Marshals Service and the Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Police Department investigated the case.

The conviction serves as a reminder of the importance of complying with sex offender registration requirements in Maine.