Nassau County Detective Charged with Attempting to Sexually Exploit a Child

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Robert Sacco, a Nassau County Detective, age 38, of Huntington, New York, was charged yesterday by complaint with attempted sexual exploitation of a child.

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division Craig Tremaroli made the announcement.

As alleged in the complaint, in October 2025, Sacco communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer over an online application and encrypted messaging for about four months. During those communications, Sacco expressed his sexual interest in children, discussed meeting the undercover officer and his purported 10-year-old daughter to sexually abuse her, and ejaculated on pictures of the undercover officer's purported 10-year-old daughter. By January 2026, Sacco suggested video chatting with the undercover officer and the purported child so that Sacco could watch the undercover officer sexually abuse the child for Sacco's sexual gratification. Sacco communicated with the undercover officer about the sex acts the undercover officer would engage in with the purported child.

On January 23, 2026, Sacco signed into a video call on an encrypted application with the intent to watch the undercover officer engage in sexually explicit conduct with the purported 10-year-old child, including oral sex. When the undercover officer told Sacco that the purported child would not come out of her room, Sacco asked if the undercover officer wanted to "postpone."

"The allegations in this case describe a profound betrayal of public trust," said Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. "A sworn law enforcement officer is accused of using an online communications platform to pursue the sexual exploitation of a child and to facilitate horrific abuse for his own gratification. Let me be clear: anyone who preys on children-especially those entrusted to protect the public-will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No badge, no position, and no title will shield a child predator from justice."

Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli stated: "The details of the allegations against Mr. Sacco are absolutely vile. As a member of law enforcement, Mr. Sacco allegedly broke the very laws he swore to uphold, and now he faces serious charges and significant time in federal prison. The FBI's Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force will continue to use every resource available to swiftly identify, investigate, and bring to justice these dangerous predators looking to harm our most vulnerable."

Sacco appeared yesterday in Brooklyn, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Marcia Henry and is detained pending his transfer to the Northern District of New York for an appearance at a later date.

The charge filed against Sacco carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Vickey is prosecuting the case.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.