March 19, 2024
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Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging child porn ring

ROCKLAND – A court case involving a former state Department of Human Services caseworker who claimed the department covered up a child pornography ring in 1985 has been dismissed.

Cynthia Wellman of Camden filed the lawsuit in October, claiming that she was forced into disability retirement because she refused to participate in the alleged conspiracy.

According to Wellman’s lawsuit, she was a senior caseworker in 1985 when she began investigating information that involved a number of children being sexually exploited and abused by a group of adults in both Hancock and Penobscot counties. Her research allegedly led to a significant drug operation and the professional photographing and videotaping of children engaged in sexual activities.

Court documents stated that Wellman claimed that members of the University of Maine staff and faculty were involved in a pornography ring and that equipment from the university was likely used to film the youngsters.

On Friday, Knox County Superior Court Justice Francis Marsano dismissed the case, citing the statute of limitations.


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