The state’s former top drug prosecutor, convicted four years ago of child pornography offenses, is looking at an even lengthier sentence than he originally received because he fled the state while on bail.

The sentencing hearing for James M. Cameron, 52, formerly of Hallowell and Rome, has been pending since February 2013. That’s when he pleaded guilty to criminal contempt for cutting off an ankle monitoring device and leaving the state shortly after an appeals court upheld seven of his 13 convictions on child pornography charges.

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James M. Cameron Courtesy Photo

U.S. Marshals Service investigators search the Hallowell home of Barbara Cameron, ex-wife of James Cameron, in November 2012. Authorities spent more than two weeks looking for Cameron in 2012 after he cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and drove to New Mexico before being captured. Maine’s former top drug prosecutor fled the state after learning his appeal of child pornography convictions had failed. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

He was arrested in New Mexico in December 2012 after an 18-day manhunt and remains in custody as lawyers wrangle over the new sentence that should be imposed.

Under an order issued Friday by U.S. District Chief Judge John A. Woodcock Jr., the guideline range for the sentence is between 24 and 30 years, and that apparently includes a period of time for the contempt of court conviction for the flight. Cameron was sentenced to 16 years in prison on the original convictions and had served about a year of that when he was freed on bail pending the consideration of his appeal by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Cameron previously was the chief drug crimes prosecutor in the Maine Attorney General’s Office, where he spent 18 years as an assistant attorney general. He became the target of an investigation after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that Yahoo! found multiple images of child pornography in an account belonging to his wife.

Cameron was fired from his state job in April 2008 and indicted on the child pornography charges Feb. 11, 2009. He was convicted by Woodcock following a non-jury trial in federal court in Portland in August 2010.

Cameron is represented by defense attorney David Beneman. The prosecutors are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Clark and Gail Malone.

In his 51-page ruling, Woodcock said he will calculate Cameron’s precise sentence as well as restitution at the sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Woodcock indicated that he will take into account that Cameron had 179 images of child pornography. The judge also noted that it had been some time since he reviewed the images but said they “depict sado-masochistic conduct.” That added to the sentence guideline, as did a finding that Cameron distributed some images.

One of the children depicted is seeking $5,400 for a year’s worth of counseling, according to Woodcock’s order.

The prosecution is seeking to have a portion of the sentence imposed as a consecutive sentence for the criminal contempt conviction, which can be for up to 10 years, Woodcock noted.

A footnote in the order says: “As previously discussed, the Court finds that (1) Mr. Cameron prepared in advance for his flight by purchasing blank check paper and pre-printed checks, less than one week before the First Circuit issued its order; (2) at some point, he fashioned two fraudulent checks to supply cash for his flight; (3) he fled the District of Maine one day after the First Circuit issued its order for a re-sentencing hearing to avoid the consequences of the order.”

Cameron’s conviction led to his disciplinary suspension as an attorney as well as a suspension of his license to practice law. According to an order from a Maine Supreme Judicial Court justice last month, Cameron indicated through his attorney that he would be resigning by Oct. 15. However, Scott Davis, bar counsel for the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, said Monday that nothing has been received by that office.

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