Carmel man sentenced after sexually exploiting teenager

CARMEL, Indiana – A Carmel man has been sentenced to more than 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation and possession of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, Carmel police officers received a report of the sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old male victim in 2022.

Investigators discovered that 27-year-old Thomas Cade Martin of Carmel asked the victim to meet in person after they met on the online dating app Grindr.

The Southern District of Indiana Attorney’s Office said Martin lied about his identity and age to set up the victim while the two continued to chat on Instagram and Snapchat.

Over the course of three weeks, Martin met the victim in person several times at his Carmel apartment or other public locations to have sex.

According to court documents, Martin also bought the victim clothes and dinners – including a birthday cake for his 16th birthday – all to raise his profile.

Investigators found several sexually explicit “live photos” of the victim on Martin’s phone, as well as additional images showing the two together in local restaurants and in public.

“Martin sexually abused and exploited a 15-year-old boy after gaining his admiration and trust online. Exploiting vulnerable teenagers for sexual purposes is a despicable crime that deserves a lengthy prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers. “The sentence imposed today should serve as a warning to potential offenders and sex workers: If you recruit and exploit minors for sex, you will spend many years in federal prison.”

Following his guilty plea, Martin was sentenced to 275 months in a federal prison, followed by 20 years of probation. Martin must also pay $10,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender at his place of residence, work or school.