A 52-year-old Oklahoma man, Thomas Edward Gailus, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Gailus used the dark web to access child sexual abuse material, which he collected in large quantities, including child sexual abuse material featuring prepubescent minors. This is not his first offense, as Gailus had previously been convicted in 2005 of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and communication with a minor for immoral purposes in Washington State.
At the time of the search of his home in 2023, Gailus possessed or accessed with intent to view child sexual abuse files with the same series title as the images that he was convicted of possessing in 2005.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and it was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006. The case was also a part of Operation Grayskull, a highly successful joint effort between the Department of Justice and the FBI, led by the FBI Child Exploitation Operation Unit.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti, U.S. Attorney Chris Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas Goodwater of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case.
Related Federal Cases
- George Chad Deputee, Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, MT 2016 · Washington
- Jessie Solomon Dunnaway, Sexual Abuse, Oklahoma 2023 · Alabama
- Robert Lee Catron, Child Sex Abuse, Oklahoma 2024 · Washington
- Cody Michael DeGraw, Possession of Material Involving Sexual Exploi… · Pennsylvania
- Oklahoma Child Predator Sentenced to Life for Sex Crimes · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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