Blab AI
Columbus Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Cyberstalking and AI-Generated Deepfake Abuse
In a landmark sentencing, a 37‑year‑old Columbus resident, James Strahler II, received a 15‑year federal prison term for a spree of cyberstalking and non‑consensual intimate image crimes that spanned from December 2024 to June 2025.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison imposed a 180‑month sentence after Strahler pleaded guilty in April to producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and publishing digital forgeries. The case marks the first federal conviction under the 2025 Take It Down Act, a law that criminalizes the online publication of non‑consensual intimate images, including AI‑generated deepfakes.
Investigators found that Strahler leveraged more than 24 AI platforms and over 100 web‑based models to harass at least six adult female victims. His tactics ranged from phone calls and voicemails to text messages and social‑media posts. In a chilling escalation, he created pornographic videos with AI that depicted an adult victim in sexual acts with her father and sent those videos to the victim’s co‑workers. He also threatened the victims’ mothers, demanding nude photographs and threatening to circulate explicit images if they did not comply. Several voicemails included the victims’ exact addresses and threatened rape and other sexual acts.
The prosecution uncovered a disturbing collection of AI‑generated obscene images of children posted online. Strahler used faces of minor boys from his community and morphed them onto bodies of other children or adults in sexual acts, specifically showing boys with their mothers or grandmothers. Authorities discovered more than 700 images of real people and animated figures posted to a website dedicated to child sexual abuse, along with an additional 2,400 flagged images and videos on Strahler’s phone depicting nudity, manipulated child sexual abuse material or violence.
The investigation began when the Hilliard Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office reported the activity to the FBI. Strahler was arrested on federal charges in June 2025 as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that targets child sexual exploitation and abuse online.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II emphasized the case’s significance. "I’m proud of my Office’s prosecution of this case—the first in the Nation under the Take It Down Act," Gerace said. "Thanks to this new law, we can now show offenders like Strahler that they will not get away with producing and posting disturbing AI‑generated content."
FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie noted the law’s intent. "The Take It Down Act was enacted to protect innocent victims from AI‑generated deepfakes or intimate images shared online without permission," Cromartie said. "The FBI will continue to investigate these digital crimes used to harm real people and ensure offenders are brought to justice."
Hilliard Police Chief Mike Woods highlighted the collaborative effort. "This case demonstrates the importance of taking these types of crimes seriously and working together to protect victims and hold offenders accountable," Woods said. "We are proud of the work our officers and detectives did to help bring this case forward and grateful to our federal and local partners for seeing it through to justice."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Czerniejewski represented the prosecution. The sentencing reflects the combined efforts of local law enforcement, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood.
The outcome underscores the enforcement reach of the Take It Down Act and signals that the federal government will pursue individuals who use AI to create and distribute non‑consensual intimate imagery. It also illustrates the growing role of AI tools in facilitating cyberstalking and sexual exploitation, and the legal mechanisms now in place to address such abuses.
The 15‑year sentence is expected to serve as a deterrent for others who might consider using AI to produce or distribute non‑consensual intimate content. The case remains the first under the new law and may influence how future prosecutions are handled in similar situations.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison imposed a 180‑month sentence after Strahler pleaded guilty in April to producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and publishing digital forgeries. The case marks the first federal conviction under the 2025 Take It Down Act, a law that criminalizes the online publication of non‑consensual intimate images, including AI‑generated deepfakes.
Investigators found that Strahler leveraged more than 24 AI platforms and over 100 web‑based models to harass at least six adult female victims. His tactics ranged from phone calls and voicemails to text messages and social‑media posts. In a chilling escalation, he created pornographic videos with AI that depicted an adult victim in sexual acts with her father and sent those videos to the victim’s co‑workers. He also threatened the victims’ mothers, demanding nude photographs and threatening to circulate explicit images if they did not comply. Several voicemails included the victims’ exact addresses and threatened rape and other sexual acts.
The prosecution uncovered a disturbing collection of AI‑generated obscene images of children posted online. Strahler used faces of minor boys from his community and morphed them onto bodies of other children or adults in sexual acts, specifically showing boys with their mothers or grandmothers. Authorities discovered more than 700 images of real people and animated figures posted to a website dedicated to child sexual abuse, along with an additional 2,400 flagged images and videos on Strahler’s phone depicting nudity, manipulated child sexual abuse material or violence.
The investigation began when the Hilliard Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office reported the activity to the FBI. Strahler was arrested on federal charges in June 2025 as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that targets child sexual exploitation and abuse online.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II emphasized the case’s significance. "I’m proud of my Office’s prosecution of this case—the first in the Nation under the Take It Down Act," Gerace said. "Thanks to this new law, we can now show offenders like Strahler that they will not get away with producing and posting disturbing AI‑generated content."
FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie noted the law’s intent. "The Take It Down Act was enacted to protect innocent victims from AI‑generated deepfakes or intimate images shared online without permission," Cromartie said. "The FBI will continue to investigate these digital crimes used to harm real people and ensure offenders are brought to justice."
Hilliard Police Chief Mike Woods highlighted the collaborative effort. "This case demonstrates the importance of taking these types of crimes seriously and working together to protect victims and hold offenders accountable," Woods said. "We are proud of the work our officers and detectives did to help bring this case forward and grateful to our federal and local partners for seeing it through to justice."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Czerniejewski represented the prosecution. The sentencing reflects the combined efforts of local law enforcement, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood.
The outcome underscores the enforcement reach of the Take It Down Act and signals that the federal government will pursue individuals who use AI to create and distribute non‑consensual intimate imagery. It also illustrates the growing role of AI tools in facilitating cyberstalking and sexual exploitation, and the legal mechanisms now in place to address such abuses.
The 15‑year sentence is expected to serve as a deterrent for others who might consider using AI to produce or distribute non‑consensual intimate content. The case remains the first under the new law and may influence how future prosecutions are handled in similar situations.
