Carmel man sentenced to 22 years in prison for grooming, sexually exploiting teen – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indianapolis Traffic

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) – A Carmel man was sentenced to 22 years in prison after having sex with a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material.

Thomas Martin, 27, was sentenced to 275 months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distributing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit behavior and possessing abuse material sexual assault on children, according to a press release. .

Martin admitted to the crime of sexual exploitation of a minor in Carmel.

According to court documents, officers with the Carmel Police Department received a report of sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old boy in late 2022. The report reveals that Thomas had asked the boy to meet in person after communication on Grinder , an online dating site. application.

Thomas first lied to the boy about his age and identity to groom him. Martin met the 15-year-old repeatedly over three weeks at his Carmel apartment and other public places to have sex.

Thomas bought the victim clothes, dinners and a birthday cake when he was 16.

Detectives searched Thomas' phone and found “live photos” of him and the child as well as images of the two at restaurants and public meeting places.

Martin must pay $10,000 in restitution and must register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works or goes to school.

Declarations

“Martin sexually abused and exploited a 15-year-old boy, after gaining his adoration and trust online. Taking advantage of vulnerable adolescents for sexual purposes is a despicable crime that deserves significant prison time,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers said in a statement. “Today's sentence should serve as a warning to future groomers and offenders that if you solicit and exploit minors for sexual purposes, you will spend many years in federal prison. »

“This defendant earned his lengthy prison sentence by propagating the online victimization of minors and seeking out and abusing a victim here in Indiana,” said Special Agent in Charge Herb Stapleton of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Indianapolis investigation in a press release. “Thanks to the dedication of our Crimes Against Children investigators, in partnership with the Carmel Police Department, this individual will remain behind bars for a very long time.”

“The Carmel Police Department has teams dedicated to preventing and resolving child exploitation. We are proud to work closely with our federal and local partners to bring justice to the victims of these cases. The work done by everyone involved in Mr. Martin's case demonstrates our commitment to protecting our most precious asset, our children. This type of heinous crime simply will not be tolerated,” Carmel Police Chief Drake Sterling said in a statement.