A Coos Bay man has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple child sexual exploitation charges involving the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Thomas Owen Barnett, 40, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child in U.S. District Court in Eugene.
According to court documents, Barnett encouraged a minor victim between September and December 2023 to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Prosecutors said that in September 2024, Barnett later distributed images of the minor victim on Kik, an online messaging platform, while allegedly seeking money in exchange for the material.
Investigators also said Barnett posed online as the minor victim and contacted a man in another country, asking him to produce and send CSAM depicting the man’s very young child.
A federal grand jury in Eugene indicted Barnett on Feb. 20, 2025, on charges including sexual exploitation of a child, attempted sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.
Barnett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years, along with a possible $250,000 fine and supervised release ranging from five years to life.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 1, 2026, before a U.S. District Court judge. As part of the plea agreement, Barnett also agreed to pay restitution to the victim and forfeit certain property.
Scott E. Bradford announced the case.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the North Bend Police Department and the Coos County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. McLaren.
Federal authorities encouraged anyone with information regarding the online or physical exploitation of children to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online through tips.fbi.gov.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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