A Webbers Falls man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after investigators found he was once again in possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), nearly two decades after a prior conviction for similar crimes.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Thomas E. Gailus, 52, was sentenced last week after admitting to using the dark web to access and collect large quantities of CSAM, including files depicting prepubescent children.
Court records show Gailus had previously been convicted in 2005 in Washington State of possessing sexually explicit depictions of minors and for communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Investigators noted that when his Oklahoma home was searched in 2023, he possessed and accessed material with the same series title as the images that led to his earlier conviction.
“Protecting children from repeat offenders who continue to exploit them, even after prior convictions, remains one of the Justice Department’s top priorities,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said, in a statement announcing the sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Chris Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma emphasized the seriousness of Gailus’s crimes.
“This case demonstrates our continued commitment to pursue those who exploit children online,” Wilson said. “Even after serving time for similar crimes in the past, this defendant returned to the same disturbing conduct. His sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions and the need to protect vulnerable children.”
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child exploitation crimes online, and tied to Operation Grayskull, an FBI-led effort that dismantled four dark web sites dedicated to CSAM.
