Sanford man gets 25 years for paying Philippines trafficker to livestream child abuse

PORTLAND, Maine - A Sanford man was sentenced Thursday for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Joseph Daniel Zoll, 63, to 25 years imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Zoll shared child sexual abuse material with a child sex trafficker in the Philippines and paid the trafficker to sexually abuse a prepubescent minor over a livestreaming videochat platform. For around two years, Zoll communicated with the trafficker and repeatedly instructed them how to abuse the child, watching over video calls. Zoll engaged in similar conduct with other child sex traffickers over the same platform for years. Zoll frequently recorded the livestreaming video calls, which he would then show to other traffickers when instructing them on how to sexually abuse children during their own calls.

Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff for the District of Maine prosecuted the case.

Homeland Security Investigations in New England investigated the case.

"It is difficult to put into words the horror and pain experienced by the children abused at Zoll's behest. Not only did he direct the sexual abuse of several children, he used the videos of that abuse to teach others how to do the same, equipping more predators with the tools to hurt children," said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. "Today's sentence puts Zoll behind bars and away from the means to abuse more children. We will continue to work alongside our partners in Maine and around the world to detect and end this type of sex trafficking."

"Joseph Zoll paid for and directed the sexual abuse of children overseas from the comfort of his home in Maine, destroying lives half a world away," said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. "That Zoll caused the abuse of young children to occur and observed and shared it with others, which led to the sexual abuse of additional victims, is beyond sickening and heartbreaking. Today's sentence ensures that he will no longer be able to victimize another child. I commend the extraordinary work of HSI in this operation."

Reports of child sexual exploitation are increasing: In 2022, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline received 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. That included more than 80,000 reports of online enticement of children for sexual acts, an increase of 82% from 2021 to 2022, and more than 31 million reports of child sexual abuse materials. Victimization can take place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. To make a CyberTipline Report, visit https://report.cybertip.org/. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.