AI-generated child pornography found in possession of Lake City man sparks investigation that leads to arrest: CCSO

LAKE CITY, Fla. – A 27-year-old Lake City man was arrested Tuesday afternoon by Columbia County detectives following an investigation that started after he was found in possession of child pornography that was created with artificial intelligence.

In November 2023, detectives began an investigation after receiving a cyber-tip of someone possibly having child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Upon initial contact with the man, a registered sexual predator, it was learned that while digital images in his possession were of concern, they consisted of sexual images of cartoon characters and other images using artificial intelligence. Since there were no images depicting real persons or victims, probable cause for criminal violations did not exist at that time, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

The man told detectives that he viewed the photos of the cartoon children because it helped him cope with his sexual issues, according to the CCSO. He also told detectives he didn’t know how long it would work before his desires got stronger.

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A few weeks later, detectives followed up with him because of his previous comments about his desires. He allowed detectives to search his phone and laptop and images of child pornography with human victims were found, CCSO said.

In an interview with detectives, the man confessed to possessing the images and failing to report his social media accounts as required as a registered sex offender, CCSO said.

Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter released this statement:

“A threat to children has been removed from our community as a result of proactive law enforcement work. Instead of taking initial information for face value, these detectives knew something didn’t seem right and pursued this case further. Their determination most likely prevented a child from being victimized by this suspect, and I am proud of their effort.”

Sheriff Mark Hunter

The man was charged with possession of child pornography and failure to register internet identifiers.