Two men from Old Town who are registered sex offenders pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Bangor to charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.

One also pleaded guilty to charges of sexual exploitation of children.

Patrick Monahan, 52, pretended to be a teenager while communicating online in early 2016, court records state. He persuaded two different teenage boys to send him videos of themselves engaging in sexual activity and then uploaded some of those videos to public websites.

Monahan faces between 25 and 50 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the charges of sexual exploitation. He faces between 15 and 40 years in prison for distributing child pornography and between 10 and 20 years for possessing it.

Kenneth McLay, 46, was found to have distributed and possessed child pornography as part of that same investigation, court records show. McLay faces 15-40 years in prison for distribution and 10-20 years for possession, along with a possible fine of up to $250,000.

Both Monahan and McLay are registered sex offenders and have served prison time in the past for possessing child pornography in 2005, federal prosecutors said. That’s why their possible prison sentences on these charges are so high.

They each will be sentenced at a later date.

The case was investigated jointly by the FBI, local police and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that launched in 2006.

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