A Tulsa man has admitted to hoarding disturbing images of children being sexually exploited, pleading guilty this week to federal child pornography charges. Thaddus Caves, 40, stood before U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell and confessed to possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct—some showing children under the age of 12.
Caves, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, entered his guilty plea to one count of possession of child pornography, marking the latest conviction in the federal crackdown on online predators. The case, prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, stems from a 2016 investigation that uncovered explicit material stored on devices linked to Caves.
According to court documents and admissions in the plea agreement, Caves knowingly possessed child pornography in October 2016. Among the vile content were images depicting prepubescent minors—some under 12 years old—subjected to sexual abuse. These depictions are not just illegal; they are permanent records of children’s suffering, investigators say.
The probe was led by the FBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which tracks digital footprints of offenders who exploit the most vulnerable. The case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to target child sexual abuse facilitated through the internet. The goal: hunt down predators, dismantle networks, and rescue victims before more harm is done.
“This prosecution is another example of law enforcement working together to protect the most vulnerable among us—our children,” said U.S. Attorney R. Trent Shores. “Predators will be pursued, investigated, prosecuted, and most importantly, held accountable by my office.” Caves now faces up to 20 years in federal prison when sentenced on May 8.
Trial Attorney William M. Grady of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff A. Gallant are handling the prosecution. As the digital underground grows, so does the federal dragnet—Caves’ conviction is a stark warning: hide in the dark web, but the feds will still come knocking.
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Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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