Biddeford teacher's aide nabbed on child porn charges

PORTLAND, Maine - A Biddeford man who was a middle school employee was arrested on Friday on possession of child pornography charges that allege he attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, the U.S. Attorney Office announced.

According to court documents, in April 2021 Jesse Kiesel, 48, engaged in an internet chat with an undercover member of law enforcement posing as a 13-year-old girl.

During the chat, Kiesel steered the conversation towards the topics of sex and sexual contact, and ultimately transmitted images of his erect penis to the undercover officer. Following the execution of a search warrant at Kiesel's residence, numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct were recovered from his computer.

According to court documents, Kiesel is an employee of Biddeford Middle School with the job title of Ed Tech II.

If convicted, Kiesel faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kiesel will make an initial appearance via video on Monday.