PORTLAND — A Lisbon man described by his attorney as having a chromosomal abnormality that created a hormonal imbalance was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for having child pornography.

Joseph Gibson, 36, pleaded guilty in September to the felony, which is punishable by 10-20 years in prison because he had a prior child pornography conviction.

While imposing Gibson’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen said she would recommend he serve his time at a prison that is medically equipped to possibly treat Gibson’s genetic condition.

Gibson had been prescribed testosterone injection, but defense attorney David Beneman wrote in court records that his client’s criminal conduct had overlapped in time with those treatments and said there might be a correlation.

In a letter to the judge, Gibson wrote that he was “deeply apologetic for victimizing children.”

He wrote, “I regret being addicted to” child pornography.

Since turning 18 he has been in and out of psychiatric wards and group homes, as well as prison, Gibson wrote.

“I hate myself every day for what I’ve done and what I’ve become,” he wrote.

He said he wants to get the medical treatment and counseling needed to lead a normal and productive life.

After serving his prison sentence, Gibson will be on supervised release for eight years, Torresen said.

He also must pay a total of $9,000 in restitution to his victims.

According to court records, an IP address registered to Gibson’s home on Ridge Road in Lisbon was identified as downloading child sexual abuse material in September and October 2023 via BitTorrent, a file-sharing software.

In December 2023, Maine State Police executed a search warrant at his home, and during an interview, Gibson admitted to viewing child sexual abuse material online.

Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations analyzed two devices seized from the home and recovered five video files of children younger than 12 being sexually abused.

Gibson has two prior state convictions, in January 2010 and December 2011, relating to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila Sawyer and Beneman recommended a 10-year sentence.

Sawyer called Gibson an “extremely dangerous person.”

Torresen said the victims depicted in child sexual abuse materials suffer throughout their lives by being retraumatized again and again due to circulating internet images.

“It’s a terrible crime and it’s a crime we can’t seem to control,” she said.

In Gibson’s case, Torresen said she was “wondering whether there is a medical fix for this,” and recommended he be incarcerated at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, which has a medical center that can treat male inmates requiring specialized or long-term medical or mental health care.

“Don’t give up hope,” she told Gibson before he was led away from the courtroom.