A Topeka man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted on five counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Court documents show that Jeremy Weber, 47, used a publicly available artificial intelligence platform to upload photographs of women and children he knew. He then manipulated these images using AI to create hundreds of new depictions classified as child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Weber also uploaded previously trafficked CSAM images to the same platform, altering them by merging the faces of adult or minor females with original CSAM content to produce additional illicit material.
Investigators determined that images of about 32 women were used to create the new CSAM. Additionally, Weber used the AI program to generate adult pornographic images involving 50-60 women without their consent.
The case came to light when an IT professional noticed suspicious activity on Weber’s computer and alerted law enforcement. A search warrant led authorities to Weber’s residence, where they discovered an encrypted hard drive containing a folder labeled “AI Swap.” Inside were numerous files organized into subfolders named after various women, each containing multiple newly created explicit images.
“While it is still an emerging technology, I believe there can be many wonderful and beneficial aspects of artificial intelligence, but there is also a dark side. Unfortunately, child predators are using AI for twisted and perverse activities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “The fact that Jeremy Weber was able to create realistic looking images of child pornography using the faces of children and adults should remind us that we are all vulnerable to this type of violation. Although the images were ‘fake’, the harm he inflicted on the victims and the consequences were very real.”
“The FBI is grateful for the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners, including the Topeka Police Department for their work in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. “The sentencing reflects the severity of conduct the defendant has pled to and should send a message to anyone conducting this type of behavior: the FBI will not flinch to seek justice.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Topeka Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara L. Walton prosecuted the case.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
