Bixby Man Convicted by Federal Jury for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

TULSA, Okla. - A federal jury convicted a Bixby man of possessing more than 220 images of child sexual abuse material, including an AI-generated and morphed video that he made of an identifiable toddler engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

After a 3-day trial, Aaron Chase Sanders, 28, was convicted of Possession of Child Pornography.

In January 2026, a Tulsa Police officer was dispatched in response to a possible child molestation report. When the officer arrived, they spoke with a woman who was messaging with Sanders on the social media app Snapchat. When the witness testified, she explained that their conversations became sexual; however, she felt uncomfortable when Sanders stated that he wanted to include a toddler in their sexual acts. She testified that Sanders messaged that the toddler had walked in on him having sex before and that it "turned him on." The sexual messages shown to the jury showed that Sanders repeatedly asked if she wanted to come over for sex while he was with the toddler.

When the Tulsa Police officer testified, he explained to the jury that he read the messages between the woman and Sanders, and that the messages concerned him as well. He preserved the evidence and discovered that Sanders lived in Bixby and possibly had access to minor children. The officer contacted a detective with the Bixby Police Department. Both officers shared the same concern for the well-being of the children that Sanders possibly had access to.

A detective with the Bixby Police Department testified that they went to a home in Bixby to check on the children's well-being and verified that Sanders was not currently with the children. After executing search warrants, Sanders agreed to speak with the detective. During that conversation, Sanders admitted to chatting with the woman on Snapchat; however, downplayed it as "fantasy." When the detective looked through Sanders' cellphone, they discovered additional conversations Sanders had with other women on the dating app Hinge, and that he possessed images and videos of children being sexually abused. The detective then collaborated with the Glenpool Police Department on extracting an exact copy of the data from Sanders' device.

A sergeant with the Glenpool Police Department explained to the jury that he is trained to extract data from electronic devices and that they help several police departments that may not have the funding or equipment to extract data. After an exact copy was made of Sanders' cell phone, they provided it back to the detective with the Bixby Police Department. He reviewed Sanders' phone data and flagged child sexual abuse material, including an AI-generated and morphed video of an identifiable toddler engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

An expert and agent with Homeland Security Investigations testified about the data he reviewed from Sanders' cellphone. The data was voluminous; however, the expert went through several examples and showed the jury that Sanders was actively seeking out child sexual abuse material online, viewing sample videos, downloading, and even purchasing it. The expert showed the jury some of the child sexual abuse material found on Sanders' phone and specified exactly when it was viewed and where it was saved on the phone. The jury was also shown the AI-morphed video that Sanders created of an identifiable toddler and adult woman performing a sexual act. The jury was also shown where the original photo was stored on Sanders' phone that he used to create the video. Prosecutors asked the expert if there was any proof that Sanders reported any child sexual abuse material that he "found" online to the local police or an official law enforcement agency. The expert said that there was no evidence that Sanders reported to a law enforcement agency from September 2025 through January 2026.

Two additional women testified about meeting Sanders through Hinge. They both explained to the jury that the conversations quickly became sexual. However, when Sanders began discussing that he wanted to include a toddler in their sexual acts, both women attempted to change the conversation and take the toddler out of the conversation. Both women testified that Sanders kept bringing the toddler back into the conversations. One woman told the prosecutors that she was afraid that Sanders would "catch a case" because of how he was texting. The other woman described a photo that Sanders sent her, which appeared to be taken in a child's bedroom with his penis erect. She went on to explain that during a separate conversation, Sanders also discussed his "erection" while being with children.

The sexually explicit images of children found on Sanders' devices were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). They identified more than 220 images on Sanders' devices. Forty-three minor children were identified in the child sexual abuse material. Sanders will remain in custody, and sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

The Bixby Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Glenpool Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Robert and Matt Cyran prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.