A 23-year-old Umatilla man has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison after admitting he distributed child sexual abuse material online and made a string of hoax calls falsely claiming he was abusing children, including one call that locked down an elementary school in Wyoming. Thomas Goatley was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Guilty Plea Covers Five Federal Charges
Goatley pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography and four counts of making obscene or harassing telephone calls, according to KATU. The outlet reports that from September 2023 through April 2024, Goatley used Instagram, Facebook, Discord and X to distribute child sexual abuse material. When the FBI arrested him in July 2024, investigators found roughly 50 images and 40 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children in his possession, per the same report.
The Hermiston Herald reports that U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon handed down the sentence on all five charges, and that the prosecution was handled by Mira Chernick in the District of Oregon.
Hoax Calls Triggered a School Lockdown
Beyond the child pornography charge, court records cited in the reporting describe a pattern of disturbing hoax calls. Goatley falsely reported to an elementary school in Newcastle, Wyoming, that he had abducted and was abusing a student, and the station's report notes that Newcastle schools were placed on lockdown while law enforcement worked to locate the caller. Multiple agencies were involved in trying to track him down, according to the Hermiston Herald's account, and Goatley also lied about abusing a student to an elementary school in Helena, Montana.
In a separate incident, Goatley falsely told Dearborn, Michigan police that he had abused his 12-year-old daughter at a local hotel. Officers responded and determined the room he described did not exist, per the same KATU report. Court documents indicate Goatley made anonymous harassing calls to schools, police departments, emergency dispatch centers, animal shelters and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, often providing false identifying information during the calls.
Ten Calls Falsely Claimed Abuse of His Daughter or Sister
Between February 17 and April 8, 2024, Goatley made 10 calls to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children falsely claiming he was abusing his daughter or sister, according to court documents referenced in the reporting. U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford, who announced the sentence, said people who distribute child sexual abuse material contribute to the ongoing exploitation of children.
Bradford also addressed the hoax calls directly. “False reports of child abuse divert critical law enforcement resources and create fear in communities,” he said, as reported by KOIN.
Restitution and Forfeiture Ordered
As part of the sentence, the court ordered Goatley to pay $1,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and a $500 special assessment. He must also forfeit the digital devices used in the offenses, the station's report states. The case was investigated by the FBI.
