Ohio man pleads guilty in first case under federal law banning AI deepfakes

James Strahler II pleaded guilty to using AI to create and distribute explicit images and videos without consent.

Prosecutors said it is the first enforcement case under the 2025 Take It Down Act.

The law covers non-consensual explicit or intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes.

DOJ said Strahler used real images of people from his community to make explicit deepfakes involving adults and minors.

Investigators said he distributed more than 700 images and animations, and his phone held more than 2,400 explicit files.