James Strahler II pleads guilty to cybercrimes involving AI-generated explicit content, marking a first under the Take It Down Act. #
A 37-year-old Ohio man who created explicit AI porn depicting women with their fathers has pleaded guilty in United States District Court to multiple cyber offences, in what federal officials describe as a historic conviction under the recently enacted Take It Down Act.
James Strahler II of Columbus now awaits sentencing after admitting to using AI tools to generate fake sexual images and other material targeting local residents.
The defendant formally admitted to engaging in a harassment campaign that involved creating AI porn, producing digital forgeries and generating child sexual abuse material using local residents.
Strahler was arrested in June 2025 on federal charges following investigations by Hilliard Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.
While released on pre-trial bail, he continued to create and send fake nude images to harass one of his original victims. This conduct led to a secondary arrest by a different Ohio police department before his case could reach trial.
Unprecedented Prosecution Under the Take It Down Act #
United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II confirmed the legal significance of the guilty plea before Chief Judge Sarah D. Morrison.
'We believe Strahler is the first person in the United States to be convicted under the Take It Down Act,' Gerace stated.
The 2025 legislation explicitly prohibits the non-consensual online publication of intimate visual depictions and artificial intelligence forgeries.
Gerace said authorities will not tolerate the practice of publicising AI-generated intimate images without consent. 'And we are committed to using every tool at our disposal to hold accountable offenders like Strahler, who seek to intimidate and harass others by creating and circulating this disturbing content,' the prosecutor added.
Investigators identified the scale of the digital operation when they seized the defendant's mobile phone. Strahler had installed more than 24 artificial intelligence platforms alongside over 100 web-based models. He used these tools to harass at least six adult women between December 2024 and his arrest.
Harrowing Extortion and AI Porn Fabrication #
He created pornographic videos showing at least one adult victim engaged in sexual acts with her own father. He then distributed the fabricated media directly to the professional colleagues of the victim.
In a further escalation, Strahler contacted the mothers of the targeted women. He demanded explicit photographs of the older women, threatening to circulate the AI-generated images of their daughters if they refused to comply.
The harassment extended to telephone calls and voicemails where Strahler masturbated or threatened sexual violence while explicitly citing the home addresses of his victims.
Minors Targeted Before Take It Down Act Arrest #
Beyond the adult victims, Strahler manipulated the faces of minor boys from his own community. He placed their likenesses onto the bodies of other individuals to create obscene and illicit material. This included simulated sexual acts involving the young boys and their own mothers or grandmothers.
Court records show the defendant uploaded over 700 images to a website dedicated to child exploitation. Authorities flagged an additional 2,400 files on his device containing nudity, morphed abuse material and violence.
Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is prosecuting the case alongside the FBI Cincinnati Division and the Maryland AI and Synthetic Media Threats Task Force.
The court will determine the final sentencing of the defendant based on federal guidelines at a future hearing. The outcome is expected to guide how the justice system addresses offences involving digital forgeries.
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