Steven Calderon

Introduction

Steven P. Calderon, a 43-year-old New York State Police sergeant from Crawford in Orange County, New York, is facing federal charges alleging that he sexually exploited two young girls and amassed thousands of child-pornography images and videos — including footage he is accused of secretly filming of children undressing in his home bathroom and then editing into sexually explicit content. Calderon, who joined the State Police in 2017 and has held the rank of sergeant since 2022, was arrested on Thursday, November 5, 2026, and ordered held after appearing in federal court in White Plains. The charges surfaced eleven days after his arrest on domestic-violence counts, when investigators searching his home for that case say they found the trove instead.

Background Information

Calderon worked for the New York State Police for roughly nine years, joining the agency in 2017 as a trooper and rising to sergeant in 2022; he was assigned to the Middletown barracks in Troop F and lived in the Orange County town of Crawford. On the morning of October 24, 2026, the Crawford Police Department received word that a woman — described in reports as his former romantic partner — was being treated at a local hospital for serious injuries allegedly sustained in a physical assault by Calderon. He was arrested the following day and charged with second- and third-degree assault. He was released on his own recognizance, an order of protection was issued for the alleged victim, and the State Police suspended him without pay. His next appearance in Crawford Town Court is scheduled for November 10.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Calderon faces a federal complaint charging two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. The allegations are unproven and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. No plea has been reported, and when reached for comment, an attorney for Calderon did not wish to make a statement regarding the charges.

The federal case emerged from the assault investigation. On the same day as his October 25 arrest, State Police executed a court-authorized search of Calderon’s residence, seizing roughly 30 electronic and recording devices along with storage equipment. Prosecutors say the devices held at least 2,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse — including prepubescent children — and that among them were videos Calderon allegedly recorded himself. Investigators found a cellphone on a stand in his bathroom with its camera facing the shower, according to the complaint, and court documents describe footage of at least four different children inside that bathroom. Prosecutors allege that on July 25, 2026, Calderon secretly filmed a 10-year-old girl undressing and then edited the recording into a short clip in which she appears to be engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that on February 3, 2023, he filmed a 9-year-old girl undressing in the same bathroom and used that recording to create a sexually explicit screenshot. He was arrested on the federal complaint on November 5 and presented before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains, where he was ordered held.

Each sexual-exploitation count carries a potential maximum of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15; the possession count carries up to 20 years — a combined potential exposure NBC New York put at up to 80 years. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald said Calderon’s alleged crimes were “all the more disturbing knowing he committed these alleged acts while serving as a law enforcement officer — a position entrusted with protecting the public including its most vulnerable members,” calling them “a profound betrayal of the public trust and the oath he swore to uphold.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said: “This case should serve as a warning: no badge, title, or position will shield those who prey upon children and justice will find you.” Authorities believe there may be other victims and have asked anyone with information to contact the FBI.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The reaction has been led from the top of the agencies he served. State Police Superintendent Steven G. James called the allegations “deeply disturbing and … in direct opposition to the oath every member of the New York State Police takes to protect and serve,” adding: “Our responsibility to protect children and investigate allegations of abuse does not change when the accused wears our uniform. The public deserves accountability, regardless of rank or position.” Federal prosecutors released a booking photo of Calderon alongside the charges. The domestic-assault case that exposed the federal investigation remains open, with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office assisting Crawford police. Calderon has made no public statement, and his attorney declined to comment on the charges.

Current Status

Calderon remains in federal custody following his November 5 appearance in White Plains, and he has been suspended without pay from the State Police since his October 25 arrest. The domestic-assault charges from that arrest remain pending ahead of his November 10 appearance in Crawford Town Court, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office continues to assist in that investigation. No plea has been entered on the federal complaint, no indictment or trial date has been reported, and authorities say the child-exploitation investigation may surface additional victims. The charges are accusations; he has not been tried on any of them.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Calderon’s nine-year State Police career — four of them as a sergeant trusted with supervisory rank at the Middletown barracks — ended in suspension without pay within days, and his second arrest within a fortnight moved him from a county jail release to federal custody. If he is convicted, the mandatory minimums alone would put him in prison for decades, with prosecutors describing the case as a warning that no badge or rank shields abusers. For the State Police, whose superintendent stressed that accountability applies “regardless of rank or position,” the case has become a public test of that pledge, and for Orange County it has drawn one of its own law-enforcement officers into the kind of federal child-exploitation prosecution the FBI says may yet name more victims.

Sources

• New York Post, “NY state police sergeant busted with trove of child porn, filmed young girls undressing in his bathroom: feds,” November 5, 2026. source
• Times Union, “NYSP sergeant charged with possession of child sex abuse images,” November 5, 2026. source
• Times Union, “State Police sergeant charged with assault following domestic incident,” October 2026. source
• NBC New York, “NY State Police sergeant sexually exploited 2 children: FBI,” November 5, 2026. source