A Vinton County man, Cody L. Prater, age 28, has been convicted by a federal jury for his involvement in child pornography crimes, including possession of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. His trial, which began on Monday, February 2, concluded this Thursday evening with a verdict handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
The evidence presented in court showed Prater in possession of and receiving videos that depicted the rape and severe sexual abuse of real children, specifically, babies and toddlers. Moreover, Prater utilized an artificial intelligence program to create graphic, photorealistic imagery of child sexual abuse. This AI-generated material ranged from depictions of nude prepubescent children being mutilated and tortured to bestiality and to children in sexual acts with adults.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II stated, "Prater collected vile videos of real babies and toddlers being sexually abused and created other AI-generated obscene material involving children. We will continue to crack down on those who victimize children through these horrific materials. I commend the investigators and trial team for their outstanding work." As per the U.S. Department of Justice, fighting the misuse of technology for such vile purposes is an ongoing effort.
Prater's previous conviction on a state child pornography offense did not deter his criminal activities, handling images that portrayed brutal sexual abuse of both real and AI-generated government infants and toddlers. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva commented on the serious nature of both real and AI-generated child sexual abuse material, emphasizing the tangible harm it inflicts on children. "Child sexual abuse material, whether real or AI-generated, causes real harm to real children. As demonstrated by today's verdict, the Department of Justice will continue to use all available tools to prosecute offenders who create, share, possess, or otherwise illegally engage with such material," according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Duva was quoted in the press release.
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Detroit was responsible for investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Tyler Aagard of the Southern District of Ohio, and Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) represented the United States during the trial. This case forms a part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative instated in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to address the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse perpetuated via the internet.
