A New York State Police sergeant has been charged federally with sexually exploiting two minors and possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Steven Calderon, identified in the announcement as a sergeant with the state police, is now facing a case that comes on the heels of a separate domestic assault arrest 11 days earlier.
Federal Complaint Unsealed Against Calderon
The complaint against Calderon was unsealed this week, with prosecutors announcing the charges in a post from US Attorney SDNY
, the account for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The announcement states that the office unsealed a complaint charging Calderon with sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material. Those remain allegations at this stage, and the full details of the alleged conduct have not been made public in the material reviewed so far.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald addressed the case directly, saying Calderon's alleged crimes are all the more disturbing knowing he committed these alleged acts while serving as a law enforcement officer — a position entrusted with protecting the public and vulnerable people. The post tagged both the New York State Police and the FBI's New York field office, signaling their involvement in the case.
A Separate Arrest Just Weeks Earlier
The federal charges arrive not long after Calderon was already facing legal trouble. Crawford police arrested him on October 25 after he allegedly assaulted a former romantic partner, according to the Times Union. He was charged in that case with both felony and misdemeanor counts of assault.
The Times Union's report notes that Calderon had worked for the State Police since 2017. A State Police spokesperson told the outlet that he had been suspended without pay following that arrest, though it is not clear from available reporting whether that suspension status carried forward to when the federal charges were announced this week.
Separate coverage from News 12 added more detail to the domestic case, reporting that Calderon was released on his own recognizance without bail after his arraignment, and that an order of protection was issued for the victim. That report came from News 12 Hudson Valley, which covered the Orange County case as it unfolded last month.
Not an Isolated Case Nationally
Calderon's case is not the only recent instance of a police officer facing child exploitation charges. In May, a federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in San Diego charging Brandon McGibbon, a San Diego police officer, with five counts of child sexual abuse offenses involving three minor victims, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. That case shows this is not the only instance of a law enforcement officer facing such allegations this year, though the available evidence does not establish any broader pattern.
No further details about the specific allegations against Calderon, including dates, locations, or evidence cited in the complaint, have been independently verified beyond the charges themselves. The case remains in its early stages, and the outcome of both the federal complaint and the Orange County assault case has not yet been determined.
