The FBI has arrested a Presque Isle man for alleged attempted sex trafficking of a child.
Joseph Maile, 27, who was previously a registered sex offender, was arrested and charged this week as part of an FBI-led operation called Operation Restore Justice, which targeted alleged sexual predators across the nation.
Maile’s case included a January investigation at a home in Presque Isle. The FBI and other law enforcement agents visited 12 Summer St. to conduct unspecified “court-authorized activity,” FBI spokesperson Kristen Setera said at the time.
Maile lived at that property in January but now apparently resides in Houlton. He was convicted in 2022 for unlawful sexual contact, according to his profile on the Maine Sex Offender Registry.
Maile was charged Wednesday at U.S. District Court in Bangor with attempted sex trafficking of a child, enticement of a minor and attempted sex trafficking of a minor. He was due to appear in a Bangor Court in the afternoon before Judge John Nivison.
In an affidavit filed with the court, FBI Special Agent Craig Mehrmann recounted his investigation leading to Maile’s arrest.
“I have probable cause to believe and do believe that Joseph Maile violated [U.S. law] by attempting the sex trafficking of a minor and soliciting a commercial sex act with a minor, and violated [the law] by enticing and attempting to entice a minor to engage in the production of child pornography,” Mehrmann stated in the affidavit.
Mehrmann’s investigation started following a complaint in September 2024 from a family member of a minor, who stated the child had a stalker named “Joe” or “JoJo,” who was reportedly seen driving near the residence. The family member reported “Joe” had taken the child out of state and also threatened to kill the child, court records stated.
Investigators identified the stalker as Maile and uncovered prior criminal activity, including a report from Presque Isle Police Detective Tyler Seeley indicating Maile was suspected of gross sexual assault against a minor. Maile was arrested on those charges in 2019.
Mehrmann conducted three interviews with the teenager, who was 15 and 16 years old when the alleged crimes took place, according to the affidavit. The teen recounted sexual activity with Maile — including during trips outside of Maine — and also accused Maile of threatening them. They reported to Washington County dispatch that they feared for their life.
Maile allegedly contacted the minor’s family member with sexual requests as well, Mehrmann reported.
The FBI investigation revealed that, through Snapchat and other social media, Maile allegedly tried to entice minors into sexual acts, according to court records.
Aided by local law enforcement, investigators visited Maile’s listed address at 12 Summer St. in Presque Isle on Jan. 8 under a federal search warrant. They collected other communications via computers and cellphones.
An investigation of Snapchat led to the identification of four other minors whom Maile allegedly contacted for sex acts. One lived in Bangor, two in the southeastern U.S. and the fourth in California, court records indicated.
Maile’s attorney, Connor Herrold, declined to comment on the case.
As part of Operation Restore Justice, the FBI’s Boston division arrested Maile and six other people for alleged sexual crimes against minors. Maile was the only suspect arrested in Maine. Others from New York and Massachusetts were charged with obscenity, attempted child trafficking and child pornography crimes. The operation involved the agency’s 55 field offices across the U.S.
“Children are among the most vulnerable members of our society and can suffer the effects of sex abuse for a lifetime,” said Craig Wolff, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Maine, in a press release. “My deepest thanks to FBI Boston and its state and local partners for their efforts in identifying and arresting those who allegedly preyed on these vulnerable victims.”
