A Carmel man preyed on a defenseless teenager, exploiting the 15-year-old for sexual gain. Now, he will serve nearly 23 years in federal prison.
Thomas Cade Martin, 27, pled guilty to distributing sexually explicit content to minors and possessing child sexual abuse materials. He also acknowledged sexually exploiting a teenager, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
A federal judge sentenced Martin to 275 months in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release during which he must register as a sex offender. “Martin sexually molested and exploited a 15-year-old child after gaining his love and trust online. “Taking advantage of vulnerable teenagers for sexual gain is a heinous crime that deserves serious prison time,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
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According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Carmel police began investigating Martin in late 2022 after getting information that he was exploiting a juvenile child. Martin allegedly met the victim over Grindr and lied about his identity and age.
According to police, Martin groomed the victim by buying him things and bringing him out to eat. Martin even brought the victim a cake for his birthday.
When investigators checked Martin’s phone, they discovered images of him with the victim taken during their several meetings.
“The sentence imposed today should serve as a warning to would-be groomers and offenders: if you solicit and exploit minors for sex, you will spend many years in federal prison,” Myers stated. In addition to his term, Martin had to pay $10,000 in reparations according to fox59.com
“The work done by everyone engaged in Mr. Martin’s case demonstrates our commitment to preserving our most valuable asset—our children. “This type of heinous crime will not be tolerated,” stated Carmel Police Chief Drake Sterling.