PORTLAND — An Otisfield man who had worked at a summer camp and a day care center denied Friday three federal felony charges, including sexual exploitation of a minor.
Travis Kimball, 21, appeared in U.S. District Court remotely by videoconference from his home Friday morning to answer to the charge of sexual exploitation of a minor, a crime punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison.
He also was charged with distribution of child pornography, a crime punishable by five to 20 years in prison.
The third charge, possession of material containing images of child pornography, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
He pleaded not guilty Friday to all three charges.
Kimball was indicted on the three charges by a federal grand jury July 7.
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Karen F. Wolf asked Kimball whether he understood the charges and possible penalties if he were convicted.
He said he did.
The case is scheduled for trial in September.
Kimball is a former employee at Camp O-AT-KA in Sebago and Kid Quarters Child Care Center in New Gloucester.
A special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in court documents that Kimball had subscribed to a messaging application that allows users of mobile devices to send texts, photographs and videos and engage in chat groups.
The app “maintains a distinctive emphasis on privacy and anonymity and was originally targeted towards younger users,” Morin wrote.
On June 7, an app user who would later be identified as Kimball, sent a message to an undercover FBI task force officer and the two messaged back and forth, Morin wrote.
The FBI agent asked Kimball to send a photo of himself, which he did, according to Morin.
Kimball also sent the undercover agent three photos, each one of a man and a prepubescent boy engaged in sexual displays as well as a video of a similar nature, Morin wrote.
Through cellphone records, agents tracked down Kimball and identified him by the photos he sent of himself to the undercover agent, according to the affidavit. He later confirmed with agents that he was the man pictured in that photo.
Agents seized the cellphone Kimball was carrying and he was arrested.
Kimball is free on an unsecured $10,000 bond and confined to his home except for work, education, religious services and legal and medical appointments.
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