The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says it has charged its first ever case involving child sex-abuse materials generated by artificial intelligence.
Last year, Arizona enacted a law that reserves the same punishment for possessing certain AI-generated sexual images of children as real material.
Now 44-year-old William Powderly has been indicted for having child sex abuse images, including two with a real kid’s face swapped onto images of another young female by AI. Prosecutors say the charges against Powderly stem from an investigation by Chandler police, who were acting on a tip.
Online court records say Powderly has pleaded not guilty.
More law enforcement news
-
A new federal courthouse is under construction in Flagstaff, bringing the federal court system closer to thousands of residents in northern Arizona. -
This decision comes after an internal audit revealed potential misuse of the software by a department employee. -
Lately, the Gila River Indian Community — south of Phoenix — has been grappling with teen gang violence. And that’s something Michael Angstead has dealt with during his six-year stint as Gilbert’s assistant chief of police, where he oversaw the department’s investigations bureau. -
Mexican authorities have arrested a former Mexican governor accused of concealing evidence related to the case of 43 students who went missing in 2014. -
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is again asking the federal government to reimburse Arizona for border security spending.
