Tioga County Man Charged With Sexually Abusing & Exploiting A Child

Monday, August 18, 2025, 8:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

SYRACUSE, NY.- A 21-year-old Waverly, New York, man is facing up to 50 years in federal prison, after being charged earlier this month by a federal criminal complaint in connection with allegedly sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl, filming the abuse, and uploading it to the internet to make money on child porn sites.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone, III, on Thursday, August 7, 2025, Tristan Kovacs, 21, of Waverly, New York, was taken into custody and charged by federal complaint with Sexual Exploitation of a Child; and Transportation of Child Pornography.

     On Friday, August 8, 2025, Kovacs made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Wiley Dancks in Federal Court in Syracuse, New York, and was ordered detained pending future court proceedings.

According To The Charging Information Filed In The Complaint

     According to the charging information filed in the criminal complaint, it is alleged that in April of 2025, Kovacs produced a sexually explicit digital image of himself with a nine-year-old girl, which he then uploaded to a pornographic website to generate money from other users on the website. 

     The website reported Kovacs’ upload of the image, which led to his arrest during the evening hours of Thursday, August 7, 2025, by federal, state, and local law enforcement Officers.

     Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “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 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.”

     If convicted at trial, Kovacs faces on the charge of sexual exploitation of a child a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison. On the charge of transportation of child pornography, Kovacs faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000, and at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Kovacs would also be required to register as a sex offender in the national database.