A man from Putnam County, Indiana, has been sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison for producing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Tristan Kalobbe Martin, aged 29, admitted guilt to the charge and received a sentence of 293 months from U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on July 21, 2025.
Court documents revealed that in June 2022, Martin started communicating with a minor from Jasper County, Texas, through an online gaming console. Despite being informed that the victim was 15 years old, Martin maintained contact with the minor. Authorities in Jasper contacted their counterparts in Indiana regarding the relationship. Subsequently, local law enforcement in Indiana confiscated Martin’s cell phone, which contained nine videos depicting the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. This initiative brings together resources at federal, state, and local levels to locate and prosecute those exploiting children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims.
The investigation involved the FBI; Putnam County Sheriff's Office in Indiana; and Jasper Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove prosecuted the case.
