A 63-year-old Fishers man faces 20 felony charges after investigators say a tip tied to his SmugMug account led them to hundreds of images, some allegedly altered with artificial intelligence to depict young people as nude. Charles Coriaty was being held at the Hamilton County Jail on a $2.5 million cash-only bond following an initial hearing Wednesday afternoon.
The charges break down into 10 counts of child exploitation, seven counts of possession of child pornography, and three counts of possession of child sex abuse material, according to WISH-TV. As Fox 59 reported, court documents list the exploitation counts as Level 5 felonies and the possession counts as Level 6 felonies.
The case traces back to a CyberTip that originated from SmugMug, the photo-hosting platform, after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information from the company and forwarded it to investigators. The Hamilton County Metro ICAC Task Force then took on the investigation, with the Fishers Police Department reporting it had been looking into the tip. WISH-TV's report notes the tip contained about 175 images, many of them allegedly altered with an artificial intelligence app.
Search Warrant Led to SmugMug Account and Fishers Home
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the SmugMug account reportedly linked to Coriaty and, per larryinfishers.com, reported finding additional child sexual abuse material allegedly created by using AI to alter clothed photos. Those images reportedly originated from clothed photos found on websites and in advertisements before being altered.
A subsequent search of Coriaty's home turned up more images stored in computer folders, including ones labeled “Teen Models,” “Braces” and “School Portraits,” among others, according to the same WISH-TV account. The station's report does not identify the specific AI application allegedly used to alter the images.
A Growing National Pattern of AI-Generated Reports
The Coriaty case lands amid a sharp rise in CyberTipline reports involving generative AI nationwide. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that 2025 submissions included more than 400,000 reports of exploitation with a generative-AI connection, with more than 182,000 of those involving offenders possessing, generating, or attempting to generate AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
The organization also said that since it began tracking generative AI use in 2023, it has identified more than 275 victims of AI-generated child sexual abuse material and has categorized more than 158,000 images and videos as such material.
Similar Case Surfaced in Tennessee
A comparable investigation unfolded in a different Hamilton County — this one in Tennessee — where Zackary Nelson was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators alleged digitally altered images depicted children, according to Local 3 News. That case is unrelated to the Indiana charges against Coriaty.
In the Tennessee investigation, an affidavit reportedly described about 3,750 photos of adults and children in the process of being altered, with more than 100 fully altered to depict children in sexual acts or nudity, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. Nelson was reportedly barred from unsupervised contact with minors and from coming within 1,000 feet of any school or public park as a condition of release, per the same Local 3 News report.
The Indiana Code lists IC 35-42-4-4 under the heading of child exploitation and possession of child pornography, along with related exemptions and defenses, according to the Indiana General Assembly. The available excerpt does not establish how the specific counts against Coriaty map onto that provision.
