Dartagnon Everettdean Burns, 45, of Oklahoma City has admitted in federal court that he distributed and possessed child pornography after investigators say he shared child sexual abuse material on the dark web. Burns entered his guilty plea on April 11, 2026, and now faces a statutory minimum of five years in prison and up to 40 years, plus potential fines, at sentencing. Authorities say he was arrested on Dec. 11, 2025, after an undercover Homeland Security agent, posing as a mother on the dark web, exchanged material with him.
Undercover Operation And Arrest
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Oklahoma, a Homeland Security Investigations undercover agent began communicating with an account on a dark web application on Dec. 10, 2025. The person behind the account allegedly showed interest in sexually assaulting the fictitious child and sent the agent child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Investigators say the user provided a phone number and claimed to have sexually abused other children, and agents used that number to identify and arrest Burns on Dec. 11, 2025. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Jan. 6, 2026.
Plea Hearing And Admissions
As KOKH reported, Burns pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and one count of possession, and acknowledged during his plea hearing that he used his cell phone to distribute CSAM and possessed electronic devices containing images of prepubescent children. KOKH also notes that Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon is prosecuting the case.
Penalties And Prosecution
The U.S. Attorney's Office states that Burns faces up to 40 years in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000, with a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years behind bars. Homeland Security Investigations led the probe, and prosecutors are handling the matter under Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department initiative focused on combating online sexual exploitation of minors.
Where This Case Fits
Child protection advocates and law enforcement agencies say cases like this are landing in court amid a broader surge in reports of online exploitation tied to evolving technologies. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has reported that its CyberTipline received more than 20 million reports last year, a figure that underscores how widespread the problem has become nationwide.
Next Steps
Sentencing will be scheduled by the court after pre-sentence reports and recommendations are completed, and Burns remains in federal custody until that hearing. Before the judge hands down a sentence, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the court will review victim impact statements along with any sentencing recommendations that are filed in the case.
