Onondaga County sex crimes case widens, sheriff seeks possible victims

A forensic review of Matthew Fragola’s electronic devices turned an already serious Onondaga County sex-crimes case into a wider search for possible additional victims. Investigators say the material they found included videos of sexual encounters, evidence the footage was disseminated and additional videos involving other potentially underage children.

Fragola, 34, of Syracuse, was already a registered Level 3 sex offender after a 2021 rape conviction. Onondaga County officials said he served two years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and the sheriff’s office said he also had a 2013 conviction for disseminating indecent material to minors in the first degree, for which he received five years of probation.

The newest charges came after an August 2024 case in which Fragola was accused of second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. Investigators said he had repeated sexual encounters with a 14-year-old girl. In April 2026, prosecutors added felony counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, promoting a sexual performance by a child and using a child in a sexual performance.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office said the device review raised concerns that the conduct may have gone beyond the original complaint. Investigators believe the case may date back to 2013, and they are asking anyone with information about possible additional victims to contact the Special Victims Unit.

Detectives also said Fragola used aliases, including Anthony, which could make it harder for victims or witnesses to connect the name to the man now facing the expanded case. At the time the case was reported, Fragola was being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center.

The case adds another layer to a record that has already moved through local and state systems for years. A 2020 local report identified Fragola as a Liverpool man accused of raping a teenager in a joint investigation involving the New York State Police and other agencies. The latest evidence suggests investigators are now looking beyond one victim and one set of allegations as they work to determine how many people may have been affected.