A Maine man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing child sexual abuse materials. Steven W. Freeman, 47, received a sentence of 20 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the charge on June 12, 2025.
Court records show that in July 2024, federal and state law enforcement executed search warrants after receiving reports about Freeman’s possession of child sexual abuse material. During the investigation, authorities seized Freeman’s cellphone and found hundreds of images depicting child sexual abuse through forensic examination. Freeman had previously been convicted in Sagadahoc County in 2003 for gross sexual assault.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
"Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as 'child pornography' – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed," according to information provided by officials. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 36 million reports related to these offenses. Reports can be filed with NCMEC at https://report.cybertip.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678. For those in Maine seeking help regarding sexual assault or abuse, assistance is available via a free, private 24-hour statewide helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program coordinates federal, state, and local resources to find, arrest, and prosecute offenders using the internet to exploit children and to identify victims. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
