An Ohio man who used artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit material targeting women and children has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, received the 180-month sentence on September 8 after previously pleading guilty to cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, and publishing digital forgeries.
Federal prosecutors said Strahler carried out a months-long harassment campaign against at least six adult women between December 2024 and June 2025. He contacted victims through phone calls, text messages, voicemails, and online posts while distributing both genuine and AI-generated nude images.
In one case, Strahler created AI-generated pornographic videos depicting a victim in sexual acts with her father. He then distributed the fabricated videos to the woman’s co-workers.
Prosecutors said he also contacted the mothers of women he targeted and demanded nude photographs from them. He threatened to distribute explicit material depicting their daughters if they refused. Some victims received threatening voicemails that included references to their home addresses and threats of sexual violence.
Investigators found that Strahler had installed more than 24 AI platforms and more than 100 web-based AI models on his phone.
His activities also involved minors. According to prosecutors, Strahler took the faces of boys from his community and used AI to create obscene images and videos depicting them in sexual situations. Some of the fabricated material portrayed the children with members of their own families.
Authorities said Strahler created more than 700 images involving real victims and animated individuals and uploaded them to a website dedicated to child sexual abuse. Investigators also flagged another 2,400 images and videos on his phone as containing nudity, manipulated child sexual abuse material, or violence.
The case was initially reported to the Hilliard Police Department and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office before being referred to the FBI. Strahler was arrested on federal charges in June 2025 and pleaded guilty in April 2026.
His case also marked the first conviction in the United States for publication of digital forgeries under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. Enacted in 2025, the federal law criminalizes certain non-consensual publication of intimate images, including qualifying AI-generated forgeries.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison imposed the 15-year prison sentence in federal court in Ohio on September 8.