Ellsworth man sentenced to 12 years and $90,000 fine for second child pornography conviction

An Ellsworth man released on federal supervision for a previous conviction for possession of child pornography this week was sentenced to just over 12 years in prison after he was caught again last year in possession of child sexual abuse material.

U.S. District Judge Lance Walker sentenced Kevin Lee Ross, 62, of Ellsworth, to 121 months in prison for possession of child pornography, as well as a 24-month sentence for violating the terms of his supervised release.

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The prison sentences will be served consecutively, after which Ross will serve an additional five years of supervised release.

Ross, who was found guilty by a federal jury on June 14, 2024, was also ordered to pay $90,000 in restitution.

Court records show that a relative of Ross tipped off the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office in Bangor in March 2023 to express concern that Ross was using his cell phone to view pornography.

At the time, Ross was on supervised release due to a 2014 federal conviction for possession of child pornography. He was released from federal prison in 2021.

As part of his release conditions, Ross was prohibited from possessing any unapproved or unmonitored internet-enabled devices.

(RELATED: Nearly half of Maine sex offenders released between 2005 and 2019 are offended again: USM report…)

The tip from Ross’ relative led to a search of his Ellsworth home by probation officers in April 2023.

During the search, officers found a cell phone and a garbage bag containing drug paraphernalia

According to federal prosecutors, when the cell phone was turned on, the screen displayed a sexually explicit image of a young child, and a further search of the device revealed more than 500 images and videos containing child sexual abuse.

A laptop and an external hard drive, both containing hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, were also found hidden in a spare tire in Ross’ car, prosecutors said.