A man convicted of multiple child molestation offenses in California has been arrested in Scottsdale after spending nearly 10 months as a fugitive following his disappearance before sentencing.
Federal authorities announced that Carl Cacconie was taken into custody Saturday morning without incident. His arrest ends a months-long search that began after he failed to appear for sentencing in California last year.
Cacconie was convicted by an El Dorado County jury in July 2025 on six counts of committing lewd acts against a child under the age of 14. Although prosecutors sought to have him held in custody pending sentencing, the request was denied. He was released on $1 million bail under conditions that included surrendering his passport and wearing a monitoring device.
According to investigators, the monitoring device stopped transmitting several days before his scheduled sentencing date in August 2025. Authorities later determined that he had disappeared from the San Francisco Bay Area shortly before he was due to return to court.
When Cacconie failed to appear for sentencing, family members reportedly informed authorities that he was missing and had left behind personal belongings, including a phone and wallet.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2026, prompting a coordinated effort involving federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Investigators ultimately tracked Cacconie to Scottsdale, where members of the FBI Phoenix Desert Hawk Fugitive Task Force arrested him.
The task force included personnel from the FBI, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Border Patrol.
Officials said Cacconie will be extradited to California, where he is expected to face sentencing on the convictions that led to his flight. Authorities have not disclosed where he had been living during the months he remained a fugitive or whether additional charges related to his disappearance will be pursued.
The arrest brings a lengthy manhunt to a close and clears the way for long-delayed sentencing proceedings in the California case.
