Wealthy Maine lawyer and Democrat candidate for governor pleads guilty to child porn charges

A wealthy and accomplished attorney from Maine, Eliot Cutler, who was active for much of his life in Democratic Party politics, has pleaded guilty to possession of thousands of images of child sex abuse.

"It marked a remarkable fall for a man who once served as an aide to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, as the top energy and environmental adviser to then-President Jimmy Carter, and launched a powerful environmental law firm in Washington, D.C.," according to the Associated Press.

Cutler came close to being elected governor of Maine in 2010, but lost to Republican Paul LePage that year, and lost by a much larger margin in 2014.

"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 said.

The plea deal calls for Cutler to serve nine months in jail out of a 4-year sentence plus six years on probation for four counts of possessing sexually explicit material of a child under 12.

The 76-year-old Cutler expressed remorse and made no excuses for his addiction. He said he would devote his remaining years to redemption.

He told the judge that he had neglected opportunities to reach out for help 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.

The investigation into Cutler began with a tip in December of 2021, according to the AP. The tip came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which informed Maine State Police that someone in Maine had either downloaded or uploaded a single illegal image. 

"Between 2014 and 2021, prosecutors say Cutler downloaded more than 80,000 images of children younger than 12 engaged in often violent and unusual sexual acts, according to the agreement," according to CentralMaine.com.

Cutler then spent some time in a residential treatment center for sex offenders. His attorney said Cutler never engaged in inappropriate conduct with children and that the likelihood of recidivism was "virtually nil."

That didn't satisfy advocates for child sexual abuse victims. Paul Kendrick, for example, said Cutler’s actions supported sexual violence against children. "The otherwise healthy lives of victims of child pornography are wrecked forever," he said.

Cutler sold his oceanfront mansion in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, for $7.55 million in 2021 to a nephew of former President George H.W. Bush. Following his arrest, he sold another home that he owned in Maine.

Judge Robert Murray said he is hopeful that something good might come from the shame that is part of 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 said.