PORTLAND — A Berwick man will serve two years in prison for possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement released Wednesday.

Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Peter Anderson, 56, to the prison term as well as five years of supervised release for the charge, which he pleaded guilty to in April, at U.S. District Court in Portland Wednesday. Torresen also ordered Anderson to pay $5,000 to each of the three victims who sought restitution.

In 2014, police seized laptops, USB drives and DVD discs containing 105 video files and 430 image files depicting child pornography from Anderson’s residence, according to court documents.

Anderson later admitted to downloading child pornography for sexual gratification and sharing it online, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As she sentenced Anderson, Torresen told him that his crime was serious because the production of child pornography ruins the lives of innocent children. The victims described how knowing people took pleasure in viewing images of their torture was hurtful, she said, noting that the mere possession of child pornography contributes to the exploitation and rape of children.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

Comments are not available on this story.