{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-05T09:43:19.210Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"search","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"unknown","response":"minors","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":3,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":3,"coreRelations":3,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-dexter-missouri-man-charged-ai-undressed-photographs-of-children","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A Dexter man is accused of using an AI chatbot to remove the clothing of photographed children and create sexually explicit images.'; 'upload them to an AI generator to undress them'; 'He stated one that had absolutely no regulations was on (information redacted).'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the probable cause statement as reported by the Daily American Republic, the man is accused of using an AI chatbot to remove the clothing of photographed children and create sexually explicit images; interviewed by police, he said he would get photographs of children from a redacted source and upload them to an AI generator to undress them, and that one such tool had no regulations.","causal_attribution":"The allegation and the reported admission come from the probable cause statement as read by one newspaper; the accused has pleaded not guilty and the police statements carried by other outlets do not mention AI."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'On September 25, Stoddard County Prosecutor Sawyer Smith and Assistant Prosecutor Chase Dembowski formally charged'; 'One count of Class A felony of sexual exploitation of a minor'; 'One count of Class B felony of sexual exploitation of a minor'; 'Three counts of Class B felony of possession of child sexual abuse material - second subsequent offense or possess more than 20 pictures/one film/video'; 'is currently being held on a no-bond warrant at the Stoddard County Jail.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He faces felony charges of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, second subsequent offense or possession of more than 20 items. He is being held at Stoddard County jail'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was arrested and is currently being held on a no bond warrant for charges including sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"He faces two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material (second subsequent offense or possession of more than 20 items) and is held at the Stoddard County Jail.","causal_attribution":"The charge list is given by the Daily American Republic from the preliminary hearing and, in one police chain, by KFVS12 and KWOC from the Dexter Police Department; the filing date, felony classes and no-bond status are in the police chain only (c7)."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday, Sept. 29, during a preliminary hearing before Stoddard County Judge Leann Below.'; 'is next due in court Oct. 22'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"He pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing before a Stoddard County judge on 29 September 2026 and is next due in court on 22 October 2026.","causal_attribution":"Court report by the Daily American Republic; no other inspected source covers the hearing."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Dexter Police Department said in August, the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force contacted one of its detectives about a tip involving suspicious internet activity.'; 'The investigation is active and ongoing. Additional charges may be filed as investigators continue to review evidence.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'in August his department was contacted by the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, regarding a tip of suspicious internet activity.'; 'a warrant was obtained to search the suspects social media applications and electronic devices, which yielded a significant amount of child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'The DPD conducted a two-month investigation'; 'A search warrant was obtained Sept. 21 for the residence'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In August 2026 the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force contacted the Dexter Police Department about a tip of suspicious internet activity; a warrant to search the suspect's social media applications and electronic devices yielded a significant amount of child sexual abuse material, and police say the investigation is ongoing and further charges may follow.","causal_attribution":"The Dexter Police Department's account carried by KFVS12 and KWOC (one police chain). The Daily American Republic attributes the two-month investigation to the same police chief and the 21 September search warrant to the police-authored probable cause statement, so no independent chain supports this claim; its intake account also differs (a North Carolina task force received the cybertip on 20 April and the case was assigned to Dexter police on 30 July, see c5)."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A North Carolina task force received the initial cybertip April 20 regarding the possible possession, manufacture, or distribution of child pornography'; 'The tip came from an LLC whose company name was redacted in a probable cause filed with Stoddard County courts. The LLC operates a publicly accessible generative artificial intelligence chatbot.'; 'The case was assigned to the DPD jurisdiction July 30. DPD said there were two other cybertips linked to the case.'; 'The probable cause lists descriptions of multiple files of sexually explicit images of an adult male and a young girl.'; 'The case went from North Carolina law enforcement to South Carolina law enforcement before'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the probable cause statement as reported, the initial cybertip on 20 April 2026 came from a company, its name redacted, that operates a publicly accessible generative AI chatbot; the case passed from North Carolina to South Carolina law enforcement and was assigned to Dexter police on 30 July, with two other cybertips linked to it, and the statement describes files of sexually explicit images of an adult male and a young girl.","causal_attribution":"Single newspaper account of the probable cause statement; the company is redacted and the report does not say whether the described files were AI-generated."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'registered sex offender for two cases of child sex crimes in South Carolina, according to the Dexter Police Department.'; 'he was convicted in 2018 in South Carolina for sexual exploitation of a minor.'; 'He was then convicted in 2023 in South Carolina of sexual exploitation of a minor.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Daily American Republic reports, citing the Dexter Police Department and the probable cause statement, that he is a registered sex offender with prior South Carolina convictions for sexual exploitation of a minor in 2018 and 2023.","causal_attribution":"Context for the charge wording (second subsequent offense) from one newspaper's account of the probable cause statement."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On September 25, Stoddard County Prosecutor Sawyer Smith and Assistant Prosecutor Chase Dembowski formally charged'; 'One count of Class A felony of sexual exploitation of a minor'; 'One count of Class B felony of sexual exploitation of a minor'; 'Three counts of Class B felony of possession of child sexual abuse material - second subsequent offense or possess more than 20 pictures/one film/video'; 'is currently being held on a no-bond warrant at the Stoddard County Jail.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'is currently being held on a no bond warrant for charges including sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"KFVS12 reports from the Dexter Police Department that the Stoddard County Prosecutor and an assistant prosecutor filed the charges on 25 September 2026, that the exploitation counts are one Class A and one Class B felony and the three possession counts Class B felonies, and that he is held on a no-bond warrant; KWOC carries the no-bond detail from the police chief.","causal_attribution":"Dexter Police Department statement carried by KFVS12 and KWOC (one chain)."}],"effects":[{"label":"photographs of children were uploaded to an AI tool to undress them and create sexually explicit images (probable cause statement as reported)","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.darnews.com/news/dexter-man-accused-of-using-ai-chatbot-to-create-explicit-images-of-real-children-from-clothed-photographs-0a5c9f5b","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-30 from an Internet Archive capture (20260930031802) requested during this review because darnews.com answers HTTP 403 to this host; the article body was recovered from the page's embedded data payload (the page is marked not free to access). Court and probable-cause reporting by Donna Farley, Daily American Republic, published 29 September 2026; the Dexter police chief is also quoted.","independence_group":"dar-court-report"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.kfvs12.com/2026/09/28/dexter-mo-man-accused-child-sex-crimes/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (KFVS12 Heartland News, Olivia Tock, 28 September 2026). Carries the Dexter Police Department's account of the investigation and the prosecutor's charges.","independence_group":"dexter-pd-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.kwoc.com/localnews/2026/9/28/0bymnd1a5eeukxwpm9srorwdax443l","kind":"local_radio_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (KWOC News, Today's Talk for 29 September 2026, Shawn Mannon). The Dexter police chief's account to the station; same police chain as KFVS12.","independence_group":"dexter-pd-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy"],"unknowns":["Which AI chatbot or generator was used; the company that sent the cybertip is redacted in the probable cause statement.","Which children were depicted, how many, whether they are known to the accused, and whether any were informed.","Whether the files described as depicting an adult male and a young girl are AI-generated.","Whether any images were shared or distributed.","When the images were made (before the 20 April 2026 cybertip).","The case number and the outcome of the charges; the next hearing is 22 October 2026."],"geography":{"basis":"The accused lives in Dexter, Missouri; the search, arrest and charges are in Stoddard County, Missouri, and the case is before the Stoddard County court (Daily American Republic, KFVS12, KWOC). Where the depicted children live is not stated.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated) consistent with existing AI child-abuse-image rows: a probable cause statement, as reported by the local newspaper, records that a man uploaded photographs of children to an AI generator to undress them, the first cybertip came from the company operating a generative AI chatbot, and he is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges and investigation are carried by two local outlets from the police; the AI element rests on the newspaper's reading of the probable cause statement and the accused has pleaded not guilty. Neither the accused nor any child is named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Daily American Republic reports from the probable cause statement that the man said he would get photographs of children and upload them to an AI generator to undress them, and that the initial cybertip came from a company operating a publicly accessible generative AI chatbot. The tools are redacted or unnamed, and the police statements carried by KFVS12 and KWOC do not mention AI.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Dexter, Missouri: a 43-year-old man pleaded not guilty on 29 September 2026 to sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material after a probable cause statement said he uploaded photographs of children to an AI generator to undress them; the statement, as reported, says the first cybertip came from a company operating a generative AI chatbot","summary":"The Daily American Republic (29 September 2026) reports that a 43-year-old Dexter, Missouri man is accused of using an AI chatbot to remove the clothing of photographed children and create sexually explicit images. According to the newspaper's account of the probable cause statement filed in Stoddard County, the initial cybertip on 20 April 2026 came from a company, its name redacted, that operates a publicly accessible generative AI chatbot; when police interviewed him, the man said he would get photographs of children from a redacted source and upload them to an AI generator to undress them, and that one such tool had no regulations. Dexter police, contacted by the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in August, searched his social media applications and electronic devices and found a significant amount of child sexual abuse material (KFVS12, KWOC). Stoddard County prosecutors charged him on 25 September 2026 with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material; he pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing on 29 September, is held without bond and is next due in court on 22 October. The children are not identified and how many were depicted is not reported.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-28","aiSystem":"A publicly accessible generative AI chatbot operated by a company whose name is redacted in the probable cause statement, and an 'AI generator' the accused said he used to undress photographs of children (Daily American Republic's account of the probable cause statement); no tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Photographs of children were uploaded to an AI tool to remove their clothing and create sexually explicit images, according to the probable cause statement as reported by the Daily American Republic; the man is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material and has pleaded not guilty.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The probable cause statement, as reported, refers to photographs of children uploaded to an AI generator and to files depicting a young girl, but no count of real children depicted is reported. Unquantified, numeric placeholders 0.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.darnews.com/news/dexter-man-accused-of-using-ai-chatbot-to-create-explicit-images-of-real-children-from-clothed-photographs-0a5c9f5b","primarySourceLabel":"Daily American Republic, 29 September 2026: Dexter man accused of using AI chatbot to create explicit images of real children from clothed photographs","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:23.864538+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:23.864538+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","nudify","children","missouri","dexter","stoddard-county","criminal-charges","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-portland-tennessee-ai-child-faces-sexual-images-traded-canada-30-year-sentence","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'placed the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and people engaged in sexual acts.'; 'Investigators said he then exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'had been placing the faces of children on nude individuals, as well as individuals who were engaging in sexual acts.'; 'would exchange the content with someone in Canada in exchange for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the district attorney's office, he used AI to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, and exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account via one release; the source images, the children and the AI tool are not described."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Canadian authorities alerted U.S. law enforcement after arresting the person who'; 'charged with tampering with evidence after investigators alleged he deleted some material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was arrested in November 2025 after a joint investigation by Portland Police, the US Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Canadian authorities alerted US law enforcement after arresting the person he was communicating with; a joint investigation led to his arrest in November 2025, and he was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Judge Dee David Gay imposed the 30-year sentence, which the district attorney’s office said must be served without probation, parole or early release under Tennessee law.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'On Thursday, Sept. 24, a judge sentenced'; 'to serve 30 years in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'A Sumner County judge imposed the 30-year sentence Thursday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A Sumner County Criminal Court judge sentenced him to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed; WSMV gives the day as Friday, WKRN and WZTV as Thursday 24 September. The court record was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded for real child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WSMV, 25 September 2026). Relays the DA's release. WVLT carries the same Gray text.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/portland-man-sentenced-using-ai-162610165.html","kind":"local_tv_news_syndicated_copy","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: Yahoo's syndicated copy of WKRN's report (25 September 2026); wkrn.com returned 403 to this host. Quotes the DA's release.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-sumner-county-man-gets-30-years-for-trading-ai-generated-child-abuse-images-with-canadian-man","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: WZTV (FOX 17) report of 25 September 2026 as carried by sister station WTVC.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://fox17.com/news/local/after-30-year-sentence-in-tn-ai-child-abuse-case-former-fbi-agent-warns-more-are-coming","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WZTV/FOX 17, 26 September 2026). Case facts from the DA; adds a former FBI agent's general comments, not used as case evidence.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["justice","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which offences he was convicted of, and whether by plea or at trial.","Which AI tool was used, where the children's images came from, and whether any depicted child has been identified or notified.","How many children's faces were used.","When the images were made and traded (the arrest was in November 2025).","The exact sentencing date (24 or 25 September 2026)."],"geography":{"basis":"He lived in Portland, Sumner County, Tennessee, where officers searched his home, and was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court. The other party was a Canadian resident arrested by Canadian authorities; where the exchanges took place beyond that is not stated. The children's countries are not reported.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a depiction case: prosecutors say AI was used to place the faces of children onto sexual images and videos that were traded internationally, and a court imposed a 30-year sentence. One DA release chain; all claims reported. The children are unidentified and uncounted, and the defendant is not named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The district attorney's release says he used artificial intelligence to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos (via WSMV, WKRN, WZTV). The tool, the source images and the identity of the children are not reported. The depicted_or_impersonated relation rests on the prosecutors' description of the faces of children being placed onto the images and videos.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Portland, Tennessee: a man who prosecutors say used AI to put children's faces onto sexual images and videos and traded them with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 30 years in Sumner County in September 2026","summary":"The Sumner County (18th Judicial District) District Attorney's Office said a 30-year-old Portland, Tennessee man was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court in September 2026 to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release. According to the prosecutors, he used artificial intelligence to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, then exchanged the material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material. Canadian authorities found messages and material connected to him after arresting the person he was communicating with and alerted US law enforcement; a joint investigation by Portland police, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the TBI led to his arrest in November 2025. He was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant. The children whose faces were used are not identified, their number is not reported, and the reports do not say which AI tool was used or which offences he was convicted of.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI tool or tools that prosecutors say he used to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos; the tool is not identified in any inspected report","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded internationally in exchange for real child sexual abuse material (Sumner County DA release via WSMV, WKRN and WZTV). The children are not identified.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The prosecutors refer to 'children' whose faces were used but give no number, and none is identified; children depicted in the real material he received are not counted because that material is not AI-made and is not described. Unquantified, with zero placeholders.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","primarySourceLabel":"WSMV, 25 September 2026: Middle Tennessee man sentenced to 30 years for using AI to create, trade child pornography","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:23.326395+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:49.53008+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","deepfake","child-sexual-abuse-material","sentencing","tennessee","sumner-county","canada","others-use","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-gilmer-county-georgia-school-vending-vendor-ai-child-abuse-images-pepsi-lawsuit","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The student told authorities he had asked her to send him pictures through a social media app, a request she considered inappropriate.'; 'Investigators ultimately identified more than 150 underage victims from Georgia and other states, according to prosecutors.'; 'He then used the technology to manipulate the photos to make the children appear nude or, in some cases, engaged in sexual activity.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'then used AI applications to digitally alter the photos to make the subjects appear nude or engage in sexual activity, the district attorney’s office said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'after authorities said they discovered a trove of child sex abuse material that he generated by running normal photographs of the victims through artificial intelligence programs.'; 'included sexual abuse content of more than 150 victims, many of whom were identified as students in Gilmer County, prosecutors said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'the report prompted an extensive investigation that ultimately uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, including digitally altered images involving minors from the local community.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"According to the prosecuting DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, the investigation began in December 2024 when a Gilmer High School student reported that a vendor who refilled drink machines on campus had asked her through a social media app to send him pictures; he downloaded photographs of minors from social media and used AI applications and bots to alter them so the children appeared nude or engaged in sexual activity; investigators identified more than 150 underage victims from Georgia and other states.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account (one chain via CBS Atlanta, FOX 5 and Atlanta News First; the AJC attributes the same to authorities and prosecutors). The sheriff's separate statement supports digitally altered images of local minors but does not itself describe the AI tools."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'118 counts of sexual exploitation of children.'; 'with 40 to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'has been sentenced to 60 years, with 40 years to be served in prison, following his conviction on 118 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'was convicted last month on 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children, court records show.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The vendor was convicted on 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children and sentenced to 60 years, with 40 to be served in prison.","causal_attribution":"Conviction and sentence reported through the DA's statement (CBS Atlanta), the Gilmer County Sheriff's separate statement (FetchYourNews) and the AJC citing court records. The court record itself was not read."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was found guilty Aug. 13 of 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children.'; 'The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case after being appointed as conflict prosecutor in February 2025.'; 'Cobb County Senior Judge Grant Brantley presided over the case'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'was sentenced Sept. 2 following an investigation that began in December 2024'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Nineteen victims gave impact statements at the sentencing hearing in Ellijay, according to the DeKalb County district attorney’s office'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The verdict was rendered on 13 August 2026 by a Cobb County senior judge after the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office took the case as conflict prosecutor in February 2025; at the sentencing hearing on 2 September 2026 in Ellijay, 19 victims gave impact statements.","causal_attribution":"Procedural facts as reported by the DA's chain, the sheriff's statement and the AJC."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'At least eight female students were victimized by a vendor allowed access to Gilmer County schools even after students complained that he was taking photos and videos of them in school without their consent.'; 'The girls range from 12 to 17 years old.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'On Friday, the parents of eight victims filed a lawsuit against'; 'the Pepsi defendants conducted an investigation but later reinstated'; 'caused fear, mental suffering, shame, and humiliation and sustained damages'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'A civil lawsuit filed in Georgia accuses PepsiCo of negligence, saying the company failed to protect students from a vending machine vendor who photographed middle and high school girls and then used AI tools to alter the images into sexually explicit material.'; 'Pepsi has not yet filed a public response to the negligence claims.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"The parents of eight female students aged 12 to 17 sued the vendor, Pepsi Beverage Co. and Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution in a suit reported on 28 February 2025, alleging that after students complained he was photographing them at school the companies investigated but reinstated him to the same route including the school, and that his conduct caused the plaintiffs fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in the civil complaint as reported by the AJC and relayed by PetaPixel (one chain), and restated by USA Herald. The allegations are untested; the companies' response is not reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"ordinary photographs of more than 150 minors, many of them local students, were turned into child sexual abuse material with AI applications, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"eight student plaintiffs allege fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation, and that the vendor was returned to their school route after students complained","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/former-georgia-school-vendor-sentenced-for-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-material/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (CBS Atlanta, 3 September 2026). Relays the DeKalb County DA's account.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/09/02/gilmer-county-man-convicted-over-100-counts-sexual-exploitation/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Atlanta News First, 2 September 2026). Attributes each fact to the DA's office.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ex-school-vendor-faces-sentencing-ai-child-exploitation-case","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (FOX 5 Atlanta, 31 August 2026, pre-sentencing). States that the information came from a DeKalb County DA press release.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://gilmer.fetchyournews.com/2026/09/07/gilmer-county-man-sentenced-to-40-years-in-prison-after-conviction-on-118-child-exploitation-counts/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (FetchYourNews Gilmer, 7 September 2026). Relays the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office statement, a separate official source from the DA.","independence_group":"gilmer-sheriff-statement"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/09/georgia-man-sentenced-to-decades-in-prison-in-ai-child-sex-abuse-materials-case/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, byline dated 2 September 2026; page metadata 3 September 2026). Only the deck and first three paragraphs rendered as readable text; the remainder is scrambled by the publisher's anti-scraping layer and was not used. Cites court records and the DA.","independence_group":"ajc"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/student-victims-of-vendor-accused-of-using-ai-to-turn-their-images-into-porn-file-lawsuit/D6UEXAAHRFE67OXBIQCW77IHPY/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (AJC, 28 February 2025). Deck and first two paragraphs readable; the remainder scrambled by the publisher and not used. Reports the civil complaint.","independence_group":"civil-complaint-ajc"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://petapixel.com/2025/03/05/students-sue-pepsi-after-its-vendor-used-ai-to-turn-photos-into-child-porn/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (PetaPixel, 5 March 2025). Relays the AJC's report of the complaint with direct complaint quotations; same chain as s6.","independence_group":"civil-complaint-ajc"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://usaherald.com/georgia-parents-sue-pepsi-after-vending-machine-worker-used-ai-to-make-child-abuse-images-of-their-children/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (USA Herald, 26 September 2026). A legal-news write-up drawing on CBS Atlanta and other Georgia outlets; gives no court, filing date or case number for the suit.","independence_group":"usaherald"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["When the photographs were taken and altered; the known dated events are the student's report in December 2024 and the arrest in January 2025.","Which AI applications or bots were used.","How many of the more than 150 victims were depicted in AI-altered images rather than other material, and how many of the 118 counts concern AI-altered images.","The court, case number and current status of the civil suit, and whether USA Herald's 26 September 2026 article describes the February 2025 suit or a later filing.","Pepsi's response to the negligence allegations.","Which other states the victims live in."],"geography":{"basis":"The school, the report, the arrest and the sentencing are in Gilmer County, Georgia (FOX 5: sentencing scheduled 'at the Gilmer County Courthouse in Ellijay'; AJC: 'the sentencing hearing in Ellijay'); prosecutors say victims were 'from Georgia and other states' (the other states are not named); the civil suit is described as filed in Georgia (USA Herald).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (AI-generated sexual depictions of real children): the prosecuting DA's account, the AJC and the sheriff's statement describe AI-altered child sexual abuse material made from students' photographs, and the conviction and sentence are reported by separate official chains. The civil allegations against the Pepsi entities are reported as untested allegations. Children and the convicted vendor are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The prosecuting DeKalb County District Attorney's Office says the vendor uploaded photographs of minors to online applications and bots and used AI applications to alter them into sexually explicit images (via FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First); the AJC and CBS Atlanta report the same, and the Gilmer County sheriff's separate statement refers to digitally altered or AI-generated material. He was convicted on 118 counts; the bodies do not say how many counts concerned AI-altered images, and the tools are not named.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Gilmer County, Georgia: a vendor who restocked drink machines in local schools used AI applications to turn ordinary photographs of students into child sexual abuse material; prosecutors identified more than 150 underage victims, he was convicted on 118 counts and sentenced on 2 September 2026 to 40 years in prison, and parents of eight students sued Pepsi entities for keeping him on the school route","summary":"According to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case as conflict prosecutor, the investigation began in December 2024 when a Gilmer High School student told a school resource officer that a vendor who refilled drink machines on campus had asked her through a social media app to send him pictures. The Gilmer County Sheriff's Office arrested him in January 2025 and searched his devices, car and home. Prosecutors say he downloaded photographs of minors from social media and used AI applications and bots to alter them so the children appeared nude or engaged in sexual activity, and that the material related to more than 150 underage victims in Georgia and other states, many of them Gilmer County students. A Cobb County senior judge found him guilty on 13 August 2026 of 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children and on 2 September 2026, after 19 victim impact statements, sentenced him to 60 years with 40 to serve in prison. Separately, the parents of eight female students aged 12 to 17 sued him, Pepsi Beverage Co. and Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution in a suit reported on 28 February 2025, alleging the companies reinstated him to the same school route after students complained that he was photographing them; USA Herald reported the negligence suit again on 26 September 2026 and said Pepsi had not yet responded publicly. The AI tools are not named and the court and status of the civil suit are not reported.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-02-28","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI applications and online bots used to alter photographs of minors taken from social media (DeKalb County District Attorney's Office via FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First); the tools are not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say photographs of more than 150 minors were turned into child sexual abuse material with AI applications (DeKalb County DA via FOX 5, Atlanta News First and CBS Atlanta; AJC); the civil complaint, as reported by the AJC and PetaPixel, alleges the conduct caused eight student plaintiffs fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":150,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Prosecutors say investigators identified 'more than 150 underage victims' (FOX 5 Atlanta, from the DA press release; AJC: 'more than 150 victims'). The explicit lower bound supports a minimum of 150. The eight civil plaintiffs are among the students; how many of the 150 were depicted in AI-altered rather than other images is not reported.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-GA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/former-georgia-school-vendor-sentenced-for-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-material/","primarySourceLabel":"CBS Atlanta, 3 September 2026: Former Georgia school vendor sentenced for using AI to make child sexual abuse material","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:37.494001+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:37.519889+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","csam","minors","school","vendor","georgia","gilmer-county","criminal-conviction","lawsuit","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}