A Sedgwick man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor for producing child sexual abuse material. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Travis Bessey, 30, to 60 years in prison and supervised release for life. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to each of his two victims.
Court records indicate that in May 2021, Bessey participated in a Kik chat room dedicated to the distribution of child sexual abuse material. A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent monitoring the chat observed Bessey sharing images of a man sexually abusing young children. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is limiting identifying information to protect the minor victims’ privacy. The Maine State Police and HSI executed a search warrant at Bessey’s residence where he admitted sending and receiving child sexual abuse material in the Kik group. Images of him sexually abusing children were later recovered from his phone.
Judge Walker remarked during sentencing that this case was “the most thoroughly disturbing case I have ever seen” after handling many cases involving child sexual exploitation as both a state and federal judge.
The investigation was conducted by HSI with assistance from the Maine State Police and the Bangor Police Department.
The public is encouraged to report incidents involving child pornography possession, distribution, receipt, or production through resources such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or local helplines.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration between federal, state, and local resources.
