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COUNTY ATTORNEY
Chandler PD probe leads to indictment in AI-related child sex abuse case
Courtesy of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
Chandler police began investigating the suspect, William Powderly, 44, of Chandler, after receiving a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
A 44-year-old man suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material has been indicted in the first case of its kind to be charged by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Chandler police began investigating the suspect, William Powderly, after receiving a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
He was found to have numerous images of child sexual abuse material, including two “where AI was used to swap a real child victim’s face onto sexually explicit images of another young female,” an MCAO release stated.
“It is the first case involving AI-generated CSAM to be charged by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.”
Last year, the MCAO supported HB2678, which made the punishment the same for sex abuse images of real child victims and AI-generated or digitally altered images that are indistinguishable from real minors. The bill took effect Sept. 26.
A grand jury indicted Powderly on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
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