A Lewiston man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to accessing the internet in order to view child pornography.

Douglas Blodgett, 46, went on the internet in March to access internet relay chat channels and chat rooms that contained child pornographic images, according to a written statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland.

When investigators executed a search warrant on Blodgett’s computer and home, they discovered he had accessed internet addresses containing the prohibited images. Blodgett told agents during an interview that he had visited chat rooms that contained pornographic images of children, according to the statement.

He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and up to two decades behind bars and a $250,000 fine. His sentence will include a period of supervised release of between five years and lifetime.

Because he has a prior conviction for a sex offense, his sentence could be enhanced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

His sentencing will be held after a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office is complete.

The investigation was done by the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.