PORTLAND — A Lewiston man pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material Wednesday in U.S. District Court, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Harold Clayton III, 35, was charged after Lewiston police and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit carried out a search warrant in September 2022.

State police received two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and traced the identified number to Clayton.

Clayton’s cell phone and laptop, which were seized during the execution of the search warrant, contained images and videos of children as young as toddlers being subjected to sexual abuse by adult men, the release said.

The cell phone also contained communications in which Clayton distributed images and videos of children being sexually abused.

Clayton will face 5-20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for distributing the material. He faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a fine of $250,000 for the possession charge.

The U.S. Probation Office will complete a presentence investigative report before Clayton is sentenced by a federal district court judge.

Homeland Security Investigations also investigated the case with help from state and local law enforcement.