A former Topsham drama teacher will plead guilty to four federal counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to an agreement filed Wednesday.

Henry Eichman in Bath District Court in 2017. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

Henry Eichman, 64, is already serving a 10-year sentence in state prison after pleading guilty to several charges in Sagadahoc County Superior Court in 2018, related to his sexual abuse of eight children over three years.

Eichman entered an Alford plea then, meaning he denied the allegations but admitted there was enough evidence to lead to a conviction at trial. 

His new federal charges stem from the discovery in 2022 of videos and images in which Eichman can be seen sexually abusing minors, according to records filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

Eichman is agreeing to a 20-year sentence, which will begin after his current sentence. His earliest release date from state prison is Aug. 7, 2026, according to the U.S. attorney’s office website.

He is also waiving his right to appeal his conviction and any sentence greater than 20 years.

“The parties agree to recommend that the Court find that the Defendant has accepted responsibility for the offenses of conviction,” the agreement states.

The deal is still subject to a judge’s approval. Eichman has a scheduled plea hearing on Dec. 10 at the U.S. District Court in Portland.

Police say they found more than 500 videos and images of child sexual abuse material on several devices that belonged to Eichman, according to court records.

Those devices, including two laptops and multiple hard drives, were found under a kayak on the property of a landscaping company in Brunswick where Eichman had previously worked.

Another employee found them and alerted local police when he realized there were videos of Eichman sexually abusing children.

The videos described by prosecutors depict the abuse of four minors from 2014 to 2015.

Eichman can often be seen starting the recording and participating in the abuse, prosecutors said. They were also familiar with Eichman’s home in the background from a police search of his residence in 2016.