Federal Jury Convicts Former Portland Resident of Accessing Child Pornography

Portland, Maine:  A former Portland resident was convicted yesterday of accessing with intent to view child pornography following a three-day jury trial, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, in July 2015, agents with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at the Portland home of George Royle V, 45. Agents seized a laptop computer under the warrant. A forensic analysis of the laptop showed that Royle had been accessing internet websites containing child pornography images with the intent to view them. He also had been using peer-to-peer file-sharing software to seek out child pornography.

Royle faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

HSI and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.