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Portland man pleads guilty to exploitation of a minor, faces 15-year minimum sentenceJan 30, 2013 (Bangor Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- PORTLAND, Maine -- A local man waived indictment Tuesday and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. David Muise, 26, of Portland faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for taking photos that included an image of his genitals and a naked 4-year-old girl, according to court documents. By pleading guilty, Muise admitted to taking that photo and others, then sharing them on the Internet with Daniel Cobb, 37, of Rock Hill, S.C. Cobb pleaded not guilty in December to one count each of transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to change his plea to guilty next month. Muise, who has been held without bail since his arrest Oct. 15, is scheduled to be sentenced in May by U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen. The men came to the attention of investigators in September after the Portland man allegedly sent a photo of his genitalia over a sleeping child to a Canadian girlfriend in Langley, British Columbia, according to court documents. The woman contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who alerted American authorities. By pleading guilty, Muise acknowledged that he had shared child pornography with others, including a person using the email address [email protected]. Investigators traced that email address to Cobb, according to court documents. If convicted on the charge of exploitation of a minor, Cobb faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. If convicted on the transportation charge, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Cobb also could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted on either charge. ___ (c)2013 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) Visit the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) at www.bangordailynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |