A 50-year-old Ventura man has pleaded not guilty to felony charges after investigators say they found two hard drives containing artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material inside his home. Christopher Jon McAulay, born Nov. 11, 1975, appeared in court Tuesday, where he denied all counts against him.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced the charges in a news release from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, stating that McAulay had been charged with two felony counts related to alleged possession of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. The precise nature of those counts is described differently across sources: the district attorney's office release refers to two felony counts, while KEYT reported that McAulay was arraigned on two counts of possession of obscene child sexual abuse material plus a separate count of possession of child pornography for commercial consideration.
According to KEYT's reporting, the investigation began between September and November of 2025, when investigators received cybertips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Those tips concerned child sexual abuse material uploaded to a social-media messaging platform, and investigators determined that the accounts involved all led back to the same IP address in Ventura County, which they say allegedly belonged to McAulay.
Search Turns Up Two Hard Drives
Investigators then served a search warrant at McAulay's home, where they say they found two hard drives containing artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material depicting young girls, per the same account from KEYT. McAulay pleaded not guilty to the charges during his first court appearance Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to KTLA.
He was released from custody on his own recognizance and is scheduled to return to court Dec. 2, KTLA reported. Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting the case, the station noted.
A Fast-Growing Category of Reports Nationally
McAulay's case lands amid a sharp rise in cybertips tied to artificial intelligence. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported that its CyberTipline received more than 400,000 reports in 2025 involving a generative-AI nexus, with more than 182,000 of those involving offenders possessing, generating or attempting to generate AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Since the organization began tracking generative-AI material in 2023, it has identified more than 275 victims and categorized more than 158,000 images and videos as AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
The center also reported steep year-over-year increases in related categories, with online-enticement reports up 158% in 2025 compared with 2024 and child sex-trafficking reports up 323% over the same period. Reports from electronic service providers contained 61.8 million images, videos and other files tied to child sexual exploitation incidents in 2025, according to NCMEC data.
Legal Landscape Still Taking Shape
California lawmakers have moved to address AI-generated material directly. Assembly Bill 1831, approved by the governor and filed with the secretary of state in September 2024, amended Penal Code sections 311, 311.2, 311.11 and 311.12 relating to such crimes, according to records from the California Legislative Information site.
Similar cases have surfaced elsewhere in the country. Authorities in Bucks County, Pennsylvania said a Lower Makefield Township man was arrested and arraigned on felony charges tied to AI-generated child sexual abuse material following an investigation by Bucks County Detectives and local police, according to a notice from the Bucks County government. In unincorporated Antioch, Illinois, a 42-year-old man was arrested after investigators said they found more than 50,000 AI-generated child sexual abuse images and videos at his home, per a report from CBS News Chicago.
Not every case has resulted in charges holding up in court. A report from Live 5 News said a Wisconsin judge dismissed charges against a man accused of creating and distributing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, citing First Amendment precedent. McAulay's case remains active, with his next court date set for Dec. 2.
