A Maine man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. District Court in Portland. Patrick Hamlin, 48, will also face a lifetime of supervised release following his sentence. He pleaded guilty on May 29, 2025.
Court records show that in May 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hamlin’s residence after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about uploaded child sexual abuse material. Investigators seized digital devices and found a child-like sex device during the search. A forensic review uncovered thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse, including explicit photographs produced by Hamlin involving a child under age 12. Authorities are withholding identifying information to protect the victims’ privacy.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police and Homeland Security Investigations. The Androscoggin County District Attorney’s Office is also prosecuting Hamlin for unlawful sexual contact and touching offenses against a minor.
“Hamlin has earned every single year of his 35-year federal prison sentence. He not only sexually abused a young child, he photographed the abuse and shared it with like-minded predators on the internet, immortalizing his victim’s trauma. This sentence keeps him out of our community and away from children for a very, very long time,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “We are grateful for our law enforcement partners in Maine who share our dedication to bringing justice to victims of child sexual abuse.”
“This prison sentence sends a strong message that the kind of abhorrent conduct committed by Hamlin will be punished to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Benson. “This office remains committed to relentlessly pursuing and prosecuting those who sexually exploit our most vulnerable, in coordination with our federal law enforcement partners and the Maine State Police.”
In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received over 36 million reports related to possession, manufacture or distribution of child sexual abuse materials (https://report.cybertip.org). Individuals can report incidents through this website or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating online child exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state and local agencies (https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc).
