BANGOR, Maine - Maine's former top drug prosecutor has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison, on convictions for child pornography and contempt of court.
James Cameron was first convicted on child pornography charges in 2010, and while out on bail during an appeal, fled the state. He was apprehended near the U.S. border with Mexico after a national manhunt.
Shortly before sentencing, Cameron rose, clad in a beige prison jumpsuit, and admitted downloading and trading photos of children being raped by adults in 2006 and 2007.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gail Malone, who prosecuted the case, says it's the first time Cameron has acknowledged his acts. "I hope it's a genuine expression of remorse," she said. "The fact that it came on the day of sentencing raises my suspicions."
Cameron, she had noted in court, used a collection of aliases, as he simultaneously talked with others and looked at child porn in online chat rooms. "Mr. Cameron was very technically savvy, which made the facts difficult to investigate and prove," she said.
Cameron also used various sweeper programs to erase evidence of his illicit, online activity. Federal prosecutors wanted to see Cameron sentenced to 24 to 30 years in prison. But instead, U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock gave Cameron two years for his flight from justice, and nearly 14 years on the child pornography charges.
Addressing Cameron before sentencing him, Woodcock struggled to make sense of Cameron's crimes.
"I think there are just some things," said Woodcock, "that we don't understand."