BANGOR, Maine — On April 29, a West Gardiner man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor to 14 charges relating to the production, transportation and distribution of child sexual abuse material, as well as failing to register as a sex offender following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England and Maine State Police.
According to court records, on Aug. 29, 2022, HSI and Maine State Police executed a search warrant on the person of Jon A. Hall, 30, in West Gardiner. In the search, they seized Hall’s iPhone. HSI’s forensic analysis of the phone recovered child sexual abuse material. Some of the images and video files depicted Hall sexually abusing a young child while living in another state. The phone also included messages with a person in Maine while Hall was out of state. In many of those messages, Hall sent child sexual abuse material to the user in Maine.
On Sept. 11, 2022, Hall was arrested for a sex offender registry violation. At the time, he possessed another phone that contained images of victims under 12, which he had downloaded from online storage, and images he had solicited and received directly from a 12-year-old child using the internet.
Hall was required to register as a sex offender following a conviction for possessing sexually explicit material depicting a child under 12. Although Hall was aware of his requirement to notify the registry of changes in residence, he failed to update his registry information after he moved back to Maine in August 2022.
Hall faces a minimum of 25 years in federal prison. A federal district judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI New England’s Bangor Resident Agent in Charge Office and the Maine State Police investigated the case.
HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: Our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.