Bangor — A Searsport man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday, March 31, for attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. sentenced Nicholas Norwood, 35, to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Norwood pleaded guilty Nov. 14, 2019.

According to court records, in April 2019, Norwood, formerly of Frankfort, used a mobile messaging service to send an image of his genitalia to an undercover federal agent posing as a 13-year-old girl.

In a conversation with The Republican Journal April 1, prosecutor Chris Ruge said the delay in sentencing was a function of the inability to do in-person hearings because of the pandemic. Norwood, he said, also initially did not agree to a hearing through video conferencing, which was his right.

Ruge said the offense is considered a federal crime because using a cellphone involves interstate communications or commerce.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine State Police investigated the case.