Onondaga County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Kurt Dobler, 31, of Syracuse, New York pled guilty last week to possession of child pornography. 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), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Dobler admitted that he was convicted in February 2023 in Fulton County Court of possessing a sexual performance by a child and was sentenced to 10 years' probation. While on probation for that crime, in May 2025 he knowingly possessed thousands of child pornography files on his cellphone, including files depicting the sexual abuse of infants.

At sentencing on March 31, 2026, Dobler faces a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years, a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life, restitution to victims, forfeiture of the device used to commit the offense, special assessments, fines, and registration as a sex offender upon release from prison.

A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone said: "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."

"Kurt Dobler's guilty plea is a stark reminder of the depravity that HSI works tirelessly to confront in defense of our children," said Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Buffalo. "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."

This case was investigated by HSI in coordination with the New York State Police and the Oneida County Sheriff's Office. United States Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection assisted in the search.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting the 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.

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