James Strahler II just became the first person convicted under the Take It Down Act. The details show exactly why that law exists. The 37-year-old Ohio man pleaded guilty to creating and sharing explicit AI-generated images of at least 10 victims without their consent. He used more than 100 AI web-based models across 24 different platforms on his phone to harass women and minors he knew personally. That included creating fake images of one victim engaged in sex with her father and then sending those images to her family and coworkers.
Getting arrested didn't stop him. After his first arrest in April 2025, he kept making and distributing fake nudes while on pre-trial release. A second arrest in June uncovered over 2,400 images and videos on his new phone, including child sexual abuse material. According to the Columbus Dispatch, he made some of these images of his exes, their family members, and friends specifically to scare women into getting back together with him.
The Take It Down Act criminalizes publishing non-consensual intimate images. Passed in May 2025 and championed by Melania Trump, the law carries up to two years for publishing images of adults and up to three years for images of minors. US Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said Strahler is the first person convicted under the Act, stating his office won't tolerate "the abhorrent practice of posting and publicizing AI-generated intimate images of real individuals without consent." One person. One phone. Over 100 AI models. The barrier to creating convincing fake explicit images is now essentially zero.