An Augusta resident, Nathaniel Gagne, 37, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison and ten years of supervised release after being convicted for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Court Judge Stacy D. Neumann delivered the sentence at the U.S. District Court in Bangor. Gagne was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.
According to court documents, the investigation began in April 2023 when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Augusta Police Department started looking into reports of livestreamed child sexual abuse material. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) notified the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit after receiving a CyberTipline report that an Omegle user—later identified as Gagne—had uploaded a video file containing suspected child sexual abuse content. Omegle is an online platform that allows users to connect anonymously by text or video chat.
The reported file included four images depicting the sexual abuse of a young child between three and four years old. Authorities executed a search warrant at Gagne’s home in Augusta, where he admitted to viewing and sharing such material on Omegle. During their search, investigators seized two cell phones and an SD card, recovering hundreds of related images and videos.
The case was investigated by HSI with support from the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Augusta Police Department.
To address concerns about online exploitation, NCMEC received approximately 36 million reports related to possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials in 2023. Individuals can report incidents involving these offenses through NCMEC’s CyberTipline at https://report.cybertip.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
