Onondaga County man faces new child sex abuse charges, sheriff says more victims may exist

New felony charges against Matthew Fragola add to an already serious public-safety case in Onondaga County, where sheriff’s investigators say a forensic review of his devices uncovered videos of sexual encounters with a 14-year-old girl and other potentially underage children.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office said its investigation into Fragola, 34, of Syracuse, began in August 2024. In April 2026, he was charged with possessing a sexual performance by a child, promoting a sexual performance by a child and use of a child in a sexual performance, all felonies. Fragola is being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center.

Investigators said the digital evidence showed Fragola recorded videos of the encounters and then disseminated them. The same review also turned up videos involving other potentially underage children, prompting deputies to warn that additional victims may exist. The sheriff’s office said Fragola used aliases, including “Anthony,” as part of that activity.

Fragola was already required to register as a Level 3 sex offender after a 2021 rape conviction. The sheriff’s office said Level 3 is the highest sex-offender designation and indicates a high risk to reoffend. Court records and prior cases tied to Fragola include a 2013 conviction for disseminating indecent material to minors in the first degree, for which he received five years of probation, and a separate rape case that led to a two-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about Fragola or any possible victims to contact the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit at 315-435-3092. The case comes as sheriff’s investigators continue to press for stronger tracking and monitoring of sex offenders across Onondaga County after a series of high-profile child sex crime cases has renewed scrutiny of how offenders are classified under New York’s registry system.