Ohio Man Is First to Be Federally Convicted for Deepfake Porn
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- James Strahler II of Columbus, Ohio, became the first person convicted under the 2025 federal Take It Down Act for cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, and publishing digital forgeries, including pornographic deepfakes.
- The law criminalizes the nonconsensual sharing of sexually explicit images and mandates companies to remove such content, with prison sentences up to two years for adults and three years for minors depicted.
- Strahler had at least 10 victims, including children, and sent threats and obscene messages, prompting police involvement after a woman in Hilliard, Ohio, reported harassment.
- The Take It Down Act was supported by former First Lady Melania Trump, who participated in its signing alongside President Trump, emphasizing the government's stance against nonconsensual AI-generated intimate images.
- U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II condemned the practice of sharing AI-generated intimate images without consent, signaling strong federal enforcement of the new law.
