Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Arif Karicic, age 36, of Syracuse, New York, pled guilty on January 16, 2026, to distribution and possession of child pornography. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.

As part of his plea, Karicic admitted that between November 2024 and February 2025, he sent child pornography files to other people through smartphone social networking applications. The FBI's investigation also revealed that on February 12, 2025, Karicic possessed child pornography on two electronic devices at his Syracuse residence.

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: "The evidence of this defendant's illegal activity reveals a disturbing sexual interest in young children. In addition to the serious harm child pornography offenses do to the original victims portrayed in the files, there is a real risk such offenders turn to hands-on abuse of their own. Thanks to the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, this defendant's deviancy has been identified and he will be held accountable for his despicable actions."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: "Mr. Karicic's offenses are heinous and the impact on his innocent victims is immeasurable. This plea ensures he will spend a substantial amount of time in federal prison where he can no longer exploit our children. FBI Albany's Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force will continue to leverage our federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships to aggressively investigate and bring to justice these sick predators terrorizing our most vulnerable."

Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2026, before United States District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi. Karicic faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in federal prison on the distribution charges, a maximum term of 20 years in federal prison for each of the charged offenses, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life. Karicic will also be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The case is being investigated by the FBI's Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis is prosecuting 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.