Operation Grayskull: Four Dark Web Child Abuse Sites Dismantled; 18 Convictions

A “joint operation between the Department of Justice and the FBI resulted in the dismantling of four dark web child abuse sites, and has led to 18 convictions to date.

The DOJ announced on Wednesday that one of the convictions included Thomas Peter Katsampes, 52, of Eagan, Minn., who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise and conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and was sentenced on Tuesday to 250 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for his involvement with one of these dark web sites. Katsampes was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.

In 2022, he joined a dark web site dedicated to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), advertised and distributed it over the website, which included CSAM depicting prepubescent children. Katsampes worked his way up to a staff position on the website, which included moderating the site, enforcing its rules for posting CSAM, and advising the site’s users about how to post CSAM.

“Yesterday’s sentencing reaffirms our steadfast commitment to protecting our children, the most vulnerable among us, from those who exploit and harm them through the despicable trade in child sexual abuse material,” U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.”

DOJ, FBI joint operation dismantles four dark web child abuse sites, leads to 18 convictions
[Just The News 7/24/25 by Natalia Mittelstadt]

“A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for his role in managing a child sexual abuse website on the dark web, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Thomas Peter Katsampes, 52, of Eagan, was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to advertise and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.

Katsampes pleaded guilty in February. According to court documents, he joined a dark web site dedicated to CSAM in 2022, where he advertised and distributed illegal material, including content depicting prepubescent children. He later became a staff member on the site, helping moderate posts, enforce rules for CSAM uploads, and instruct other users on how to share such content.”

“To date, 18 offenders have been convicted, receiving a combined total of more than 300 years in prison.

“Thomas Peter Katsampes and his co-conspirators ran some of the darkweb’s most heinous networks, enabling horrific crimes against innocent victims, but Operation Grayskull has shut these sites down and delivered justice. We applaud the FBI and our international partners for their tireless work, and let this be a clear warning: we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute anyone engaged in such atrocities, no matter how they attempt to cover their tracks,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida.

In addition to Katsampes, eight individuals have been convicted and sentenced in the Southern District of Florida for their involvement in running the primary site targeted by Operation Grayskull, and another nine have been convicted for their involvement with these websites in judicial districts around the country.”

Eagan man sentenced to more than 20 years in major dark web child sexual abuse investigation
[Alpha News 7/25/25 by Jenna Gloeb]

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The Dark Web is a bastion of child trafficking. I don’t know if any of the children are adoptees or foster children, but there are likely some foster children involved. Thank God that some of them have been captured...

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