Kurt Dobler, a 31-year-old resident of Syracuse, New York, has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Dobler admitted in his plea that he had previously been convicted in February 2023 in Fulton County Court for possessing a sexual performance by a child and was sentenced to 10 years’ probation. While on probation for that offense, he knowingly possessed thousands of files containing child pornography on his cellphone in May 2025. These files included images depicting the sexual abuse of infants.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years. Additional penalties include at least five years and up to life under supervised release, restitution payments to victims, forfeiture of the device used during the crime, special assessments, fines, and registration as a sex offender upon release.
The final sentence will be determined by a judge who will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines along with other factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated: “The defendant was completely undeterred from this heinous conduct despite a prior State conviction for doing the same thing, presumably because he received a slap-on-the-wrist probationary sentence. Now he will be spending at least a decade in jail. That’s the power of federal law enforcement, and my Office won’t hesitate to use it on repeat sex offenders like this defendant.”
Erin Keegan added: “Kurt Dobler’s guilty plea is a stark reminder of the depravity that HSI works tirelessly to confront in defense of our children. The defendant’s admitted actions are nothing short of monstrous and have no place in a civilized society. I commend the unyielding determination of HSI Syracuse personnel and our law enforcement partners in ensuring this predator is held accountable and justice is delivered for the innocent victims.”
The investigation was conducted by HSI with support from New York State Police and Oneida County Sheriff’s Office; assistance also came from United States Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting the case under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies focused on locating offenders online and rescuing victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
