Tioga County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Transportation of Child Pornography

Tristan Kovacs, age 23, of Waverly, New York, was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation a child and transportation of child pornography announced First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, U.S. District Judge, Anthony J. Brindisi, also imposed a 15-year term of supervision which will begin after Kovacs is released from prison at which time Kovacs will also be required to register as a sex offender.

As part of his guilty plea in the case, Kovacs previously admitted that in April of 2025, he photographed himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a 10-year-old female child which he then uploaded to a pornographic website so others could view and download the image.

First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: "The defendant's conduct in this case, which included his victimization of a vulnerable 10-year-old child, is abhorrent and the significant sentence imposed is just punishment for that level of depravity. Over the next three decades, the defendant will either be incarcerated or under strict supervision which will help to ensure that he is never again in a position to harm another child."

"While Mr. Kovacs spends the next 15 years behind bars in federal prison, the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to relentlessly investigate and hold accountable any other sick predators like him who seek to exploit our children," said Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albany Field Office. "The victims in these cases deserve swift justice, and this FBI stands ready to deliver that to them so they can focus on rebuilding their lives."

This case was investigated by the FBI's Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the New York State Police with assistance from the Waverly New York Police Department and the Broome County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

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.