Win Naing, a 20-year-old resident of Utica, New York, appeared in federal court on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the FBI.
According to the criminal complaint, a cloud storage service notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2023 after detecting uploads of child pornography to its platform by one of its users. Investigators from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office used geolocation data tied to an internet protocol address to connect the uploads to Naing. During a search of Naing’s cell phone, FBI special agents and other investigators found numerous images and videos containing child pornography. They also discovered that some files had been downloaded using a social networking app installed on his device.
If convicted, Naing faces between five and twenty years in federal prison, fines up to $250,000, at least five years and up to life on supervised release, and mandatory sex offender registration upon release. Sentencing would be determined by a judge based on relevant statutes, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Naing made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks in Syracuse and is being held pending further proceedings.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Collecting child pornography is not a victimless crime and the defendant in this case will now suffer the grave consequences of his despicable actions. Anyone who traffics in child pornography in the Northern District of New York should be prepared to face swift and immediate justice and can expect to spend years behind bars.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “As alleged, Mr. Naing had a disturbing amount of child pornography in his possession. The FBI remains committed to relentlessly investigating these appalling predators and ensuring justice is delivered to the victims.”
The indictment contains only accusations; Naing is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a national program led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section that coordinates resources among federal, state, and local agencies to investigate online child exploitation cases as well as identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
