A Carmel, Indiana man has been sentenced to more than two decades behind bars for his crimes involving the sexual exploitation of a teenager and the possession of child sexual abuse material. 27-year-old Thomas Cade Martin received a 275-month prison sentence followed by 20 years of supervised release, after entering a guilty plea to charges of distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, the Carmel Police Department was alerted, to a case involving the sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old boy in late 2022. The investigation revealed that Martin used the dating app Grindr to meet the minor identified as MV1, subsequently grooming the victim through continued conversations on Instagram and Snapchat while misrepresenting his identity and age. Over the span of three weeks, Martin met up with MV1 multiple times, bought him gifts, including clothes and dinners, and even presented the child with a birthday cake upon turning 16.
A search of Martin's cellphone yielded several sexually explicit "live photos" of the minor, along with other images of the two at various locations in Carmel. As stated in a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, “Martin sexually abused and exploited a 15-year-old boy, having gained his adoration and trust online. Taking advantage of vulnerable teens for sexual gain is a despicable crime that merits significant prison time.”
The case was investigated jointly by the Carmel Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, resulting in Martin's sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon. Additionally, Martin was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and will be required to register as a sex offender. Special Agent in Charge Herb Stapleton of the FBI praised the investigative efforts stating, “Thanks to the dedication of our crimes against children investigators, in partnership the Carmel Doctor Police Department, this individual will be behind bars for a very long time."
Carmel Police Chief, Drake Sterling, emphasized the department’s commitment to protecting youth. “The Carmel Police Department has teams dedicated to preventing and solving child exploitation. We are proud to work closely with our federal and local partners in bringing justice to those who are victims of these cases. This type of heinous crime simply will not be tolerated,” he said. U.S. Attorney Myers acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted the case.
