AI-fueled cyberstalking earns Ohio man 15 years behind bars
He turned AI into a tool for sexual abuse.
Stalker. By GettyImages
- James Strahler received 15 years in prison for cyberstalking, sextortion, and fake sexual images made with AI.
- Prosecutors said he targeted at least six women with real and fake nude images.
- Investigators found more than 700 posted images and 2,400 additional AI-made images and videos on his phone.
- Strahler became the first person convicted under the Take It Down Act, federal officials said.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A man from Ohio has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for cybercrimes that included both real and AI-generated pornographic deepfakes and sextortion.
Between December 2024 and June 2025, 37-year-old James Strahler from Columbus, Ohio, sent harassing messages to at least 6 female victims.
These messages included nude images of the victims, both real and AI-generated. One of the messages included an AI-generated pornographic video of one of the victims having sex with her father. This deepfake sextape was sent to the victim’s co-workers.
The mothers of the victims also received a copy of the deepfake. Strahler threatened to circulate the video he created of their daughters if the mothers refused to send him nude photos of themselves.
The suspect also called the victims and left voicemails of him masturbating.
Strahler also uploaded AI-generated obscenities of children. He copied their faces onto the bodies of other adults or children and created videos that depicted the boys having sex. The suspect specifically created videos of the boys having sex with their mothers or grandmothers.
The Ohio man had installed more than 24 AI platforms and more than 100 AI web-based models on his phone. He used this software to create over 700 images, which were posted on a website dedicated to child sexual abuse and violence. Police also found an additional 2,400 deepfake images and videos on his phone.
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In April 2026, Strahler pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, producing deepfakes of child sexual abuse, sextortion, and publishing digital forgeries. For these criminal acts, the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio sentenced the defendant to 15 years in prison.
Strahler was the first suspect to be convicted of violating the Take It Down Act, which was implemented in 2025 to combat non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including revenge porn and AI-generated photos and videos.
“The Take It Down Act was enacted to protect innocent victims from AI-generated deepfakes or intimate images shared online without permission. The FBI will continue to investigate these digital crimes used to harm real people and ensure offenders are brought to justice,” FBI agent Jason Cromartie said in a statement.
