Clay man charged in child exploitation probe, Onondaga County case

Caleb S. Wiggins, 21, of Clay, was arraigned in Town of Clay court after State Police said a joint child-exploitation investigation uncovered video and photo files depicting child sexual abuse material on his devices. He faces two counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, a class D felony, and one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a class E felony.

State Police said the case was built through a coordinated effort that included the State Police Computer Crime Unit in Troop D, the Troop D Bureau of Criminal Investigation in North Syracuse, the NYSP ICAC Unit in Albany and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The agencies worked together because online child-exploitation cases often depend on digital forensics, device analysis and information-sharing across local, state and federal lines.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a central part of that system. State Police describe it as a network of 60 federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies that investigate people who exploit children through the internet and technology. New York’s task force is one of 61 ICAC task forces nationwide, and it serves as a hub for CyberTips sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That structure helps investigators move from a tip to a forensic review, then to arrest and prosecution when evidence supports charges.

The case matters in Onondaga County because the arrest and arraignment were handled locally, even though the alleged conduct took place online and behind closed screens. State Police said the total number of files was still being reviewed by digital forensics, a reminder that these cases can continue developing after an arrest as investigators sort through devices and data.

Federal involvement also reflects the broader mission of the FBI’s violent crimes against children work, which treats online predators and child exploitation as an ongoing priority. For families, the clearest reporting channel in these cases is the CyberTip system routed through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which feeds into the ICAC network when suspicious online material is reported.