ELLSWORTH, Maine — A rich legal professional who made a reputation for himself within the nation’s capital earlier than returning dwelling to Maine to run for governor vowed to hunt redemption Thursday after he pleaded responsible to possession of hundreds of photographs of kid sexual abuse.

Eliot Cutler, who got here near being elected governor in 2010, sat stone-faced at occasions in court docket, however his voice cracked with emotion when he addressed the decide. He apologized first to the victimized youngsters and their households.

“My behavior helped to support an industry built upon their abuse, and I hope with all my heart that they can find healing and dignity,” Cutler mentioned.

The plea settlement, accepted by the decide, requires Cutler to serve 9 months in jail for 4 counts of possessing sexually express materials of a kid underneath 12.

It marked a outstanding fall for a person who as soon as served as an aide to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, as the highest power and environmental adviser to then-President Jimmy Carter, and launched a robust environmental legislation agency in Washington, D.C.

His legal professional, Walter McKee, mentioned all of Cutler’s life achievements will now be nullified in many individuals’s opinions due to his possession of so many photographs of youngsters being damage - a punishment that goes past the jail time period.

The 76-year-old Cutler, in the meantime, made no excuses for his habit and mentioned he would dedicate his remaining years to redemption.

He advised the decide that he had alternatives to succeed in out for assist however uncared for to take action and was “embarrassed, ashamed, and deeply, deeply sorry” for his actions. “I failed to meet my obligations to myself, to my family, to my friends and to civilized society,” he added.

Afterward, Hancock County District Attorney Robert Granger acknowledged many individuals outraged by Cutler’s actions will probably be sad with the sentence, however he mentioned the penalty falls in step with comparable instances over the previous decade.

“There’s a lot of commentary from folks in the public that are enraged by the conduct. But unfortunately, we just can’t jump to a maximum sentence in these types of situations,” Granger advised reporters afterward.

Law enforcement officers mentioned they discovered hundreds of photographs of youngsters underneath 12 on Cutler’s digital units, and his lawyer mentioned Cutler acknowledged downloading tons of of photographs at a time of youngsters being sexually assaulted.

After his arrest, Cutler spent a while in a residential therapy middle for intercourse offenders, and his legal professional mentioned Cutler by no means engaged in inappropriate conduct with youngsters. His legal professional mentioned the probability of recidivism was “virtually nil.”

But advocates for baby sexual abuse victims had been having none of any try to downplay Cutler’s crimes.

Paul Kendrick, a critic of the Roman Catholic Church throughout clergy abuse scandal, mentioned Cutler’s actions supported sexual violence in opposition to youngsters. “The otherwise healthy lives of victims of child pornography are wrecked forever,” he mentioned.

Cutler used his private wealth to bankroll two campaigns for governor as an unbiased. He narrowly misplaced - by lower than 2 proportion factors - to Republican Paul LePage in 2010 and misplaced once more by a a lot bigger margin in 2014.

In 2021, Cutler offered his oceanfront mansion in Cape Elizabeth for $7.55 million to a nephew of former President George H.W. Bush. After his arrest, he offered one other dwelling that he owned in Portland, Maine’s largest metropolis.

Cutler was freed after his arrest final 12 months at his waterfront dwelling in Brooklin, a coastal group 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Portland.

The phrases of probation forestall Cutler from possessing sexually express supplies, require his on-line actions to be monitored and restrict his potential to be round youngsters. He additionally should register as a sexual offender for all times.

Judge Robert Murray mentioned he's hopeful that one thing good may nonetheless come from the disgrace that has accompanied Cutler’s fall from grace.

“The good which comes from this shame depends entirely upon you and how you respond. You’ve alluded to that in your remarks. I can’t measure your sincerity in that regard. That will only be proven with the passage of time,” Murray mentioned.

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