A Portland resident pleaded guilty on June 1 in U.S. District Court in Portland to charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, Jody G. Moczara, 45, while living in a halfway house, obtained a cellular phone which he used to solicit child sexual abuse material over the internet. In March 2025, Homeland Security Investigations obtained a search warrant for the device and found hundreds of image and video files depicting child sexual abuse. Investigators also discovered numerous chat conversations related to exploitation activity, including messages where Moczara sent Amazon gift cards as payment for sexually explicit content. Moczara had previously been convicted of receiving child pornography in U.S. District Court in Maine in 2016 and was sentenced then to over eleven years in prison.
Moczara faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years’ imprisonment with a maximum possible term of forty years, along with up to $250,000 in fines and supervised release that could last for life. Sentencing will occur after completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office; the final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines as well as other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation into this case.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes across the state, handling civil matters involving government interests, collecting owed federal debts, building alliances with law enforcement at all levels, and serving as Maine’s chief federal law enforcement officer, according to the official website.
The Department of Justice highlights that reports involving possession or distribution of child sexual abuse materials can be made through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678. In Maine, individuals affected by sexual assault or abuse can access support via a statewide helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
