BANGOR – A Kingfield man was sentenced in federal court today to 20 years in prison, having previously pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation and child pornography charges in U.S. District Court in March.
Richard Hinkley, 56 of Kingfield, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography on March 11. The charges stem from a state and federal law enforcement investigation.
According to court records, Hinkley coerced a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct through online video chat communications from May 2009 to April 2010, recording images of the minor during some of those sessions. The investigation further revealed that Hinkley possessed a hard drive that contained images of child pornography, including some he had collected using a peer-to-peer network. Some were sexually explicit images of prepubescent children under the age of 12.
Hinkley was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr. on Friday. Hinkley was also ordered to pay $16,500 in restitution.
