James Strahler pleads guilty to cyberstalking and AI-generated child sexual abuse material
Ohio man becomes first person convicted under Trump's Take It Down Act after targeting 10 victims
The Take It Down Act became federal law on May 19, 2025, making it illegal to knowingly publish intimate visual depictions of people without their consent White House. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sponsored the bipartisan bill after a 2023 incident where Aledo, Texas high school students had nude deepfakes created and shared without permission.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously in February 2025, and the House passed it 409-2 on April 28, 2025 Sen. Klobuchar. The law imposes criminal penalties of up to two years in prison for offenses involving adults, and up to three years for offenses involving minors. Platforms must remove reported intimate imagery within 48 hours or face FTC enforcement action Congress.gov.
Key Concepts
Essential concepts and terms to understand this topic
Digital Forgery
An AI-generated or manipulated image or video that falsely depicts a real person in intimate or sexual content without their consent.
Section 230
A federal law that protects websites from being sued for content posted by their users.
First Amendment
Constitutional protection for freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
FTC Enforcement
The Federal Trade Commission's power to investigate companies and impose fines for unfair or deceptive business practices.
Deepfakes
Digitally manipulated media that makes a person appear to say or do something they never did.
Nonconsensual Intimate Imagery
Real or AI-generated sexual images shared without the depicted person's consent, sometimes called "revenge porn."
Key People
10JS
James Strahler II
Defendant; first person believed convicted under Take It Down Act
37-year-old Columbus, Ohio resident who pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026 to cyberstalking, producing AI-generated CSAM, and publishing digital forgeries. He used 24 or more AI platforms and over 100 web-based AI models on his phone between December 2024 and June 2025, generating more than 700 explicit images targeting six adult women and multiple children in his community.
Ted Cruz
U.S. Senator (R-TX); principal sponsor of Take It Down Act
Introduced S.146 in January 2025 after a 2023 incident where Aledo, Texas students had deepfakes created without consent. Cruz personally contacted Snapchat to remove the images when local law enforcement couldn't act, and said: "It should not take a sitting senator getting on the phone to take these down." He championed bipartisan passage through the Senate Commerce Committee he chaired.
Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator (D-MN); co-sponsor of Take It Down Act
Democratic co-sponsor who built cross-party support for S.146 alongside Cruz. Klobuchar had previously sponsored the SHIELD Act in 2022, which addressed nonconsensual intimate imagery but failed to pass the House. She co-led the Take It Down Act through unanimous Senate passage in February 2025.
EB
Elliston Berry
Deepfake victim; central advocate for Take It Down Act
Aledo, Texas high school student who was 14 on October 2, 2023 when a classmate used AI to create and distribute nude deepfakes of her and eight friends on Snapchat. Berry and her mother Anna McAdams brought the incident to Sen. Cruz's office after local law enforcement couldn't help. Berry testified before Congress in June 2024, appeared at a Capitol Hill roundtable with Melania Trump on March 3, 2025, and attended the Rose Garden signing on May 19, 2025 as Melania's guest.
MT
Melania Trump
First Lady; advocate for Take It Down Act through Be Best initiative
Championed the Act through her Be Best initiative focused on children's online safety. She hosted a Capitol Hill roundtable on March 3, 2025 with Cruz and Elliston Berry to lobby for House passage. At the Rose Garden signing, she said: "My Be Best initiative is focused on improving children's well-being, encouraging kindness, and creating a safer online environment for our youth." On April 7, 2026, she publicly celebrated Strahler's conviction on social media.
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Signed the Take It Down Act into law on May 19, 2025 in the Rose Garden. At the signing, he said of Elliston Berry: "Elliston Berry stood boldly for change, despite the risk posed to her and her family."
DS
Dominick S. Gerace II
U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio
Led the prosecution of James Strahler II and announced the guilty plea on April 7, 2026. Gerace stated: "We believe Strahler is the first person in the United States to be convicted under the Take It Down Act." His office coordinated with the FBI Cincinnati Division and two local Ohio law enforcement agencies on the case.
Emily Czerniejewski
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio
Represented the U.S. government at Strahler's April 7, 2026 guilty plea before Chief Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Czerniejewski handled the courtroom prosecution of the first case brought under the Take It Down Act's digital forgeries provision.
SD
Sarah D. Morrison
Chief U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Ohio
Presided over Strahler's guilty plea on April 7, 2026. Trump nominated Morrison to the Southern District of Ohio in April 2018. The Senate confirmed her on June 11, 2019, by a vote of 89-7. She became Chief Judge of the Southern District of Ohio on September 7, 2024.
JC
Jason Cromartie
Special Agent in Charge, FBI Cincinnati Division
Led the FBI Cincinnati Division's involvement in the Strahler investigation. His division provided digital forensics support after the Hilliard Police Department and Delaware County Sheriff's Office referred the case to federal investigators in 2025. Cromartie co-announced the guilty plea alongside U.S. Attorney Gerace on April 7, 2026.
Claims & Perspectives
True
True
James Strahler pleaded guilty under the Take It Down Act on April 7, 2026.
Multiple federal and local sources confirm the April 7, 2026 guilty plea.
True
The Take It Down Act requires platforms to remove intimate imagery within 48 hours.
The 48-hour requirement is explicitly stated in the law's text.
True
Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar co-sponsored the Take It Down Act.
Both senators' offices confirmed co-sponsorship.
True
Strahler used 24+ AI platforms and 100+ web-based AI models.
This detail appears consistently across DOJ documents and news reporting.
Sources
True
The Take It Down Act was signed May 19, 2025.
Confirmed in official government records.
True
The DEFIANCE Act passed the Senate unanimously in January 2026.
Senate passed DEFIANCE Act with unanimous consent in January 2026.
Sources
What you can do
Contact the CCRI Image Abuse Helpline if you or someone you know is a victim of deepfake abuse
organizational involvement
The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative runs a free 24/7 helpline staffed by advocates who can guide victims through content removal requests, platform reporting, and attorney referrals. Under the Take It Down Act, platforms must remove intimate imagery within 48 hours of a victim's notice. CCRI can help victims document their case and navigate that process.
Call your U.S. Representative to urge a House floor vote on the DEFIANCE Act
legislative contact
The DEFIANCE Act passed the Senate unanimously on January 13, 2026 but had not yet passed the House as of April 2026. The bill would allow victims to sue perpetrators directly for a minimum of $150,000 in damages, or $250,000 if the deepfake was connected to sexual assault or stalking. Criminal prosecution like Strahler's requires a U.S. Attorney to bring charges. Civil suits under DEFIANCE would give victims an independent path to hold perpetrators accountable without waiting for federal prosecutors to act.
Report AI-generated CSAM to the CyberTipline immediately
civic action
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline is the federally designated reporting system for child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated content. Reports go directly to law enforcement. Strahler was first reported to local police before the FBI took over. Filing with NCMEC immediately routes the report to the appropriate federal and local agencies simultaneously.