PLEASE NOTE: The criminal cases and allegations against Vincent Sarikey are completely unrelated to the Wenke case. I’m currently in the process of setting up a separate website for cases unrelated to Wenke.
In January of 2023, Vincent Sarikey surrendered to federal authorities after they were unable to locate and arrest him for child exploitation charges. During an initial court hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia, which is detailed in the transcript below, an FBI special agent testified that law enforcement sought to apprehend Sarikey after receiving a tip from a “friend of a friend” that he was considering committing suicide to avoid the consequences of his crimes.
When the feds attempted to conduct surveillance on Sarikey, they discovered that he had discreetly moved out of his last known address in Herndon, Virginia. The agent further stated that law enforcement had attempted to make contact with Sarikey’s wife, but that they were unable to communicate with her.
Furthermore, at that point in time, investigators believed that they had not uncovered Sarikey’s full collection of child sex abuse material (CSAM, also commonly known as “child pornography”).
The prosecution argued that Vincent Sarikey was a flight risk.
During the court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers urged the court to detain Vincent Sarikey without bail pending the outcome of his case, arguing that he was a flight risk due to his mental health history and because he was competent and capable of covering his tracks. Withers also described Sarikey as a threat to his community, citing testimony that he had surreptitiously taken inappropriate photos of minor females at family gatherings, in his community, in public, and even from outside a window. Additionally, Sarikey was accused of planning to groom his unborn child months before their birth.
Sarikey’s defence attorney urged the judge to release the defendant on bond, noting that his wife’s cousin was willing to house him, contribute to a bond payment, and comply with the conditions of his bond, which included no internet access and removing weapons from the home. The defence further stated that Sarikey was already receiving sex offender treatment and that he would be willing to continue with it as a condition of bond.
The judge concluded that Vincent Sarikey needed more supervision than his wife’s cousin could provide and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
USA v. Vincent Sarikey
Court Transcript: January 12th, 2023
USA v. Vincent Sarikey (1:23-cr-00056) – Court Transcript – Document #22