A 21-year-old man from Waverly, New York, Tristan Kovacs, has been charged in federal court with sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of child pornography. The charges were announced by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the FBI.
According to the complaint, in April 2025 Kovacs produced a sexually explicit image involving himself and a nine-year-old female child. He allegedly uploaded this image to a pornographic website to earn money from other users. The website reported the upload, which led to an investigation and Kovacs’s arrest.
If convicted on the charge of sexual exploitation of a child, Kovacs faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and up to 30 years. The transportation of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years. Both charges could result in fines up to $250,000 and supervised release ranging from at least five years to life. Upon release, registration as a sex offender would be required.
Kovacs was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks and is being held pending further proceedings.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “the defendant’s conduct as alleged in the complaint is despicable. Not only is the defendant alleged to have sexually exploited a child, but he also appears to have sought to profit from it. My office is committed to doing whatever is in our power to ensure this defendant never has the opportunity to harm another child.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig A. Tremaroli stated: “Hours after FBI Albany received this disturbing tip from law enforcement, Mr. Kovacs was in custody facing federal charges that carry significant sentences. The FBI will continue to devote every resource available to swiftly investigate these despicable predators and protect our most vulnerable. Our office is especially thankful to our partners at Waverly Police Department, New York State Police, and Broome County Sheriff’s Office for their invaluable assistance in this investigation.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force along with the New York State Police, Waverly Police Department, and Broome County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) that coordinates resources across federal, state, and local agencies against online child exploitation crimes (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
