A Montgomery County man, Francis T. DiCaprio, has pleaded guilty to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography, the Department of Justice announced. DiCaprio, 30, from Amsterdam, New York, admitted to using messaging applications for distributing and storing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his cellphone from June 2023 through February 2024.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York, DiCaprio engaged in the exchange of CSAM and falsely claimed to others that, he was sexually abusing an eight-year-old child he knew. Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, "DiCaprio committed these abhorrent crimes while vividly describing sexual abuse he fantasized about inflicting on a child he knew."
FBI's Albany Field Office Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli emphasized the importance of the conviction, stating: "Mr. DiCaprio’s guilty plea ensures he will now spend years in federal prison for his despicable actions." The case was investigated by the FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which is comprised of FBI Special Agents and local law enforcement from various agencies such as the Rotterdam Police Department, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Set to be sentenced on December 15, DiCaprio faces a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 20 years in prison for the distribution charge, and up to 20 years for the possession charge. Alongside imprisonment, he could be fined up to $250,000 and will be subject to supervised release for at least 5 years, potentially extending to life. Moreover, upon release, DiCaprio will be required to register as a sex offender.
The prosecution of this case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). This program mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to aid in the identification and rescue of victims. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa is handling the prosecution for this case.
