A Tioga County, New York, man who was arrested last August on federal child pornography charges faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty.
Tristan Kovacs, 22, of Waverly, pleaded guilty in federal court to sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
As part of his guilty plea, Kovacs admitted that in April of 2025, he produced a sexually explicit image of himself and a female child, which he then uploaded to a pornographic website where other users could access and download the image.
The website reported Kovacs’ upload of the image, which subsequently led to the investigation of Kovacs and his arrest Aug. 7, 2025.
The sexual exploitation charge against Kovacs carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years, while the charge of transportation of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of five years and maximum sentence of 20 years.
Both charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. Kovacs will also be required to register as a sex offender when he’s released from prison.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 6 before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi.
“This defendant has finally admitted the reprehensible conduct he engaged in which included his victimization of a nine-year-old child,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said in a news release. “My office will now ensure the defendant spends decades in federal prison where he belongs.”
The 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 Police Department and the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Waverly man pleads guilty to taking sexually explicit photo with child
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
