Prosecutors in Omaha quietly rewrote part of the criminal case against Thomas Falcon just days before his trial was set to begin, downgrading a child pornography charge to pandering and dropping another count entirely. Falcon, 63, still faces a lineup of serious charges ranging from sex trafficking to keeping a place of prostitution, and his case is scheduled to be decided by a judge alone rather than a jury.
According to WOWT, the state amended a child pornography charge involving a victim age 19 or older to pandering, while a separate charge of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct was dropped altogether. The station reports Falcon’s trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning in Omaha, with a judge rather than a jury deciding the outcome. Falcon is one of six defendants swept up in the broader investigation and was arrested along with four others last year.
A Case That Has Grown Over Time
The investigation that produced Falcon’s charges has expanded considerably since it first became public. By May 2026, Omaha police had arrested a sixth suspect in the same case, according to a separate WOWT report, after earlier coverage had described five people facing charges. The case has since moved from arrests and preliminary hearings into district court, with several defendants already tried or sentenced while others, including Falcon, await their turn.
Court records reviewed by WOWT indicate that Amy Hicks may testify in Falcon’s trial this week. Hicks, who worked in the City of Omaha’s finance department, was arrested along with four others after an ongoing criminal investigation, law enforcement confirmed at the time. She was later sentenced to 15 years in prison, per the same WOWT report, after being identified as a former city of Omaha accountant.
Other Defendants' Outcomes So Far
Hicks is not the only co-defendant whose case has already concluded. Douglas Johnson was sentenced to five years behind bars, the station reports, though KETV separately reported Johnson received a sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison for felony pandering. Scott Nelson, meanwhile, is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking of a minor, a punishment that followed his guilty plea in August 2024, according to a KETV account detailing the charges against suspects in the investigation.
Prosecutors have alleged that activity tied to Hicks and Johnson stretched from 2022 through 2024, with one defendant said to have met Hicks on a commercial sex app and exchanged more than 10,000 messages with her over that span, per KETV’s reporting. Separately, Steven Harper pleaded not guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography in July. Another defendant, Jenilee Rapp, faces charges of keeping a place of prostitution and possession of child pornography, per WOWT.
What Comes Next for Falcon
With jury selection set aside in favor of a bench trial, Falcon’s case now rests entirely on a judge’s reading of the evidence against him. His trial arrives after the case moved steadily through Douglas County’s court system, with KETV noting that Hicks, Falcon, Nelson and Harper were all bound over to district court to await trial following earlier proceedings. Whether Hicks ultimately takes the stand in Falcon’s case remains to be seen; court records only indicate that she may testify.
