First U.S. Conviction Under Take It Down Act for AI-Generated Child Abuse Material
James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 180 months in prison in September 2026 for cyberstalking and producing AI-generated sexually explicit images of children and non-consensual deepfake intimate images of adults. He is reportedly the first person in the United States convicted under the Take It Down Act, enacted in 2025.
What happened
From December 2024 through June 2025, James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, used more than 24 AI platforms and over 100 web-based AI models installed on his phone to harass at least six adult female victims. He sent harassing messages via phone calls, voicemails, text messages, and online posts containing real and AI-generated nude images of the victims, including one AI-generated pornographic video depicting a victim with her father, which was distributed to her co-workers.
Strahler also created AI-generated obscene images of boys from his community and posted more than 700 images to a website dedicated to child sexual abuse material. Investigators found an additional 2,400 images and videos on his phone flagged as depicting nudity, morphed child sexual abuse material, or violence.
Reported impact
The victims experienced harassment through multiple channels including intimate imagery without consent. Prosecutors noted the conduct was designed to intimidate and cause psychological harm to multiple individuals including children.
Index analysis
Strahler pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, and publication of digital forgeries. His conviction on the publication of digital forgeries charge marks the first conviction under the Take It Down Act, enacted in 2025, which prohibits non-consensual online publication of intimate visual depictions and AI-generated forgeries.
Governance controls
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II stated that the Department of Justice would not tolerate non-consensual AI-generated intimate images and was committed to holding offenders accountable. The 180-month prison sentence was intended as a warning that significant prison time would follow such conduct.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.