A Syracuse man has pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography. Arif Karicic, 36, admitted in federal court on January 16, 2026, to distributing and possessing child pornography.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, Karicic distributed files containing child pornography through smartphone social networking applications between November 2024 and February 2025. An investigation by the FBI found that on February 12, 2025, he possessed child pornography on two electronic devices at his residence in Syracuse.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III commented: “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.”
Karicic is scheduled for sentencing on May 19, 2026 before United States District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison for distribution charges and up to twenty years for each offense. He could also be fined up to $250,000 per count and face supervised release from five years up to life. Upon release from prison, Karicic will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the FBI's Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with help from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis is prosecuting as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a national initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) aimed at combating child sexual exploitation online through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
