EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Field Office have announced the capture of Carl W. Cacconie, a convicted child molester who remained a fugitive for nearly 10 months.
On July 17, 2025, an El Dorado County jury in South Lake Tahoe convicted Cacconie of six counts of committing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14. Cacconie’s sentencing was scheduled for August 25, 2025.
He was not remanded into custody while awaiting sentencing and remained out of custody on $1,000,000 bail after previously surrendering his passport and being fitted with a monitoring device.
A request by an El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney to remand Cacconie into custody while awaiting his sentencing was denied.
On August 17, 2025, the monitoring device stopped transmitting. Cacconie was last seen in San Francisco, California on August 22, 2025. On August 25, 2025, the day of his sentencing, Cacconie’s family informed the court that they had reported him missing and that Cacconie left behind his phone, wallet and a suicide note.
On May 14, 2026, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Cacconie in the Eastern District of California for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Confinement to aid efforts to locate him.
After an extensive joint investigation, Cacconie was located in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was apprehended without incident at approximately 9 a.m. today by the FBI Phoenix Desert Hawk Fugitive Task Force, which is comprised of FBI special agents, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies and U.S. Border Patrol Agents. Cacconie will make his first appearance in Scottsdale, Arizona, and will be extradited to California, where he will finally face sentencing and be held accountable for his crimes.
“We never stopped fighting for justice in this case. We are deeply grateful to our federal partners, whose collaboration was invaluable in locating and apprehending Cacconie. While nothing can erase the harm caused, we hope today’s outcome offers a measure of peace to Cacconie’s survivor and family, knowing that he will now finally be held accountable and sentenced for his crimes,” said El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson.
–
“Carl Cacconie underestimated law enforcement and our commitment to ensuring justice for those impacted by his crimes,” said FBI Sacramento Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh. “Our task force officer with the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office relentlessly pursued leads and worked closely with FBI Sacramento, FBI San Francisco, and FBI Phoenix field offices to ensure every possible tool, technique, and resource was leveraged to locate and safely apprehend this convicted criminal.”
The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI Sacramento Field Office said they are grateful for the community’s support throughout this nearly 10-month search and thank Cacconie’s survivor and her family for their patience throughout the effort to locate Cacconie.