BANGOR — A Cornville man pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to accessing child sexual abuse material, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

Wade Willette, 46, faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, followed by five years to life of supervised release, Andrew McCormack, an assistant U.S. attorney, wrote in an announcement Thursday to the news media.

The investigation began in 2020 when Willette contacted a covert FBI agent on the messaging app Kik after the agent posted on a forum frequented by people interested in child pornography, according to McCormack.

Two years later, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a tip that Willette’s Kik account had uploaded three videos containing child sexual abuse material.

In March 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant on Willette’s home and interviewed Willette, according to McCormack. Willette confirmed the Kik account was his and he used it to view child sexual abuse material and engage in online conversations about child pornography. Investigators found two photographs on Willette’s cellphone of children being sexually abused.

Willette’s sentencing has yet to be scheduled, pending completion of a report by the U.S. Probation Office.