BANGOR - Brian P. Hinkley, 26, of Strong pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court, according to U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby.

Hinkley was ordered detained pending sentencing. He faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

Court records show that on July 21, 2005, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents acting on a tip served a search warrant on the home in Strong that Hinkley shared with his grandmother, Silsby said in a statement.

Agents seized Hinkley's computer and related computer media, examined it and found it contained more than 500 images of child pornography, 143 of which depicted identified minors.

In a separate investigation conducted in April 2006, Maine State Police served a search warrant on the home of a friend of Hinkley's in Sabattus. Hinkley was present at the time. During an interview of Hinkley, officers learned he visited his friend's residence nightly and used his laptop to log onto their wireless connection. Hinkley turned over his own laptop computer after telling officers it likely contained child pornography. Examination revealed that it contained approximately 300 images of child pornography, more than 80 of which depicted identified minors.

Silsby praised the investigation, which was conducted by the FBI and Maine State Police, with assistance of FBI agents in Charleston, S.C.