Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Francis T. DiCaprio, age 30, of Amsterdam, New York, pled guilty yesterday to distributing and possessing child pornography. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.
DiCaprio admitted that from June 2023 through February 2024, he used messaging applications to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and stored the CSAM on his cell phone. In the course of exchanging CSAM with others, he repeatedly – but falsely – told others that he was sexually abusing an 8-year-old child he knew.
Acting United States 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. I am grateful to the FBI for finding this disgusting and dangerous individual, getting him off the street and away from children, and bringing him to justice.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. DiCaprio’s guilty plea ensures he will now spend years in federal prison for his despicable actions. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to swiftly investigate any individual who knowingly possesses and distributes detrimental images that re-victimize our most vulnerable every time they are circulated.”
At his sentencing on December 15, 2025, DiCaprio faces a term of imprisonment of at least 5 years and up to 20 years for the distribution count and up to 20 years for the possession count. DiCaprio also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case is being investigated by FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and investigators from state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Rotterdam Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.