Federal agents arrested a Tioga County man after investigators said he created and sold an explicit image involving a 9-year-old girl.
Tristan Kovacs, 21, of Waverly, appeared in Syracuse federal court Friday on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. Prosecutors say he uploaded the image to a pornographic website in April, allegedly to make money from other users.
The site flagged the upload, which triggered an FBI investigation. Agents arrested Kovacs Thursday evening. He was arraigned Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks and will remain in custody until further proceedings.
The sexual exploitation charge carries a minimum of 15 years in prison, and the pornography transportation charge carries at least 5 years. Both could also bring fines up to $250,000 and require sex offender registration if he’s convicted.
Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III called the alleged conduct “despicable” and said his office will work to ensure Kovacs “never has the opportunity to harm another child.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig A. Tremaroli said agents moved quickly after receiving the tip and credited local police for their help.
The FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and New York State Police led the investigation with help from Waverly police and the Broome County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to combat child exploitation.
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