A wealthy attorney who made a name for himself in the nation’s capital before returning home to Maine to run for governor vowed to seek redemption Thursday as a judge accepted his plea agreement for possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.
Eliot Cutler, who came close to being elected governor in 2010, said he apologized for his actions and to victims. The 76-year-old said he would devote his remaining years to redemption. Cutler added he had opportunities to reach out for help but neglected to do so and was “embarrassed, ashamed, and deeply, deeply sorry” for his actions.
“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 agreement calls for Cutler to serve nine months in jail after pleading guilty to four counts of possessing sexually explicit material of a child under 12.
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.
His attorney said he hoped Cutler’s achievements wouldn’t be nullified by his addiction to pornography, while Cutler said he accepted responsibility for his actions.
Law enforcement officials said they found more than 80,000 images of children under 12 on Cutler’s electronic devices, and his lawyer said Cutler acknowledged downloading hundreds of images at a time of children being sexually assaulted.
After his arrest, Cutler spent some time in a residential treatment center for sex offenders, and his attorney said Cutler never engaged in inappropriate conduct with children.
But advocates for child sexual abuse victims were having none of it.
“No matter how you cut it, Cutler helped fund, and thus support, ongoing sexual violence against children by peering at the naked images of children forced to perform sexual acts,” said Paul Kendrick, of Freeport. “The otherwise healthy lives of victims of child pornography are wrecked forever.”
Cutler was freed after his arrest last year at his waterfront home in Brooklin, a coastal community 130 miles from Portland.
He reports to jail on June 1.
Judge Robert Murray said he is hopeful that something good could still come from the shame 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.”
Source: foxnews
