April 9, 2026
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. 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. 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.
James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026 in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Sarah D. Morrison, making him believed to be the first person convicted under the Take It Down Act. Strahler admitted to three federal crimes: cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse material, and publication of digital forgeries.
Between December 2024 and June 2025, Strahler conducted a coordinated campaign targeting six women and multiple children. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, led by Dominick S. Gerace II, prosecuted the case. Strahler was arrested in June 2025 and awaits sentencing.
Strahler installed 24 or more AI platforms and used over 100 web-based AI models on his phone to generate explicit content. Investigators recovered 2,400 images and videos from his devices.
He created more than 700 images total, many posted to a website dedicated to child sexual abuse. The FBI's Cincinnati Division, led by Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie, supported Hilliard Police and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office with digital forensics after local agencies referred the case to federal investigators.
Strahler targeted his victims using telephone calls, voicemails, text messages, and web postings. He attacked at least six adult women by creating and distributing nude deepfakes to their coworkers, family members, and online. In one case, he created an AI-generated video depicting an adult victim engaged in explicit sexual acts with her father, then distributed the video to her coworkers.
Against child victims, Strahler used AI to place the faces of local boys from his community onto explicit sexual content, creating videos depicting the boys engaged in sex acts with their mothers and grandmothers. The DOJ press release described the material as targeting boys Strahler knew personally.
The federal definition of digital forgeries in the Take It Down Act includes any image or video created, adapted, or manipulated by artificial intelligence. AI-generated sexual images can be created from text descriptions alone.
The law criminalizes the publication of intimate depictions without consent. It does not prohibit the creation of deepfakes that are not published or that don't meet the harm and privacy standards defined in the statute.
The Take It Down Act shifted how federal law treats online platforms. Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (1996), platforms historically received broad immunity from liability for user-generated content. The Take It Down Act carves out an exception requiring platforms to actively comply with takedown requests for intimate imagery within 48 hours. The FTC will enforce the Act's requirements, treating platform non-compliance as unfair or deceptive practices.
Strahler's arrest followed investigation by the FBI's Cincinnati Division working with the Hilliard Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office. Investigators had to establish that images were AI-generated rather than real, trace Strahler's use of multiple AI platforms, and prove he distributed the content knowingly.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Czerniejewski represented the government at Strahler's guilty plea. Digital forensics teams analyzed his devices to recover deleted images and communications. U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said: "We will not tolerate the abhorrent practice of posting and publicizing AI-generated intimate images of real individuals without consent."
Melania Trump publicly celebrated Strahler's conviction as a victory for the Take It Down Act and her Be Best initiative. At the May 19, 2025 Rose Garden signing ceremony, 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 posted on social media thanking U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the conviction. Elliston Berry, the Aledo, Texas teenager whose 2023 deepfake incident drove the bill, attended both the Rose Garden signing and the joint address to Congress as Melania's guest.
The Take It Down Act is one of the first major federal laws to regulate artificial intelligence directly. The Senate passed the bill unanimously in February 2025 and the House passed it 409-2 on April 28, 2025.
The law takes a narrow approach, targeting the specific harm of non-consensual publication rather than regulating AI development broadly. Critics, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue this approach targets publication rather than the creation of the content itself.
The Strahler conviction came alongside broader deepfake regulation momentum. On January 13, 2026, the Senate passed the DEFIANCE Act by unanimous consent, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), with a House companion bill introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL). The bill allows victims to sue for a minimum of $150,000 in liquidated damages, or $250,000 if the deepfake is connected to sexual assault or stalking.
As of May 2025, 32 states had enacted laws addressing deepfakes.
Defendant; first person believed convicted under Take It Down Act
U.S. Senator (R-TX); principal sponsor of Take It Down Act
U.S. Senator (D-MN); co-sponsor of Take It Down Act
Deepfake victim; central advocate for Take It Down Act
First Lady; advocate for Take It Down Act through Be Best initiative
President of the United States
U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio
Chief U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Ohio
Special Agent in Charge, FBI Cincinnati Division
organizational involvement
Contact the CCRI Image Abuse Helpline if you or someone you know is a victim of deepfake abuse
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.
Hello, I need help with a nonconsensual intimate image that has been posted online. I understand that under the Take It Down Act, platforms are required to remove this content within 48 hours of my notice. I need guidance on how to file a takedown request and whether I should also file a report with law enforcement.
legislative contact
Call your U.S. Representative to urge a House floor vote on the DEFIANCE Act
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.
Hello, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city, state]. I'm calling to urge Representative [name] to support a House floor vote on the DEFIANCE Act. The Senate passed it unanimously on January 13, 2026. The bill gives deepfake victims the right to sue perpetrators directly for at least $150,000 in damages. James Strahler's conviction in Columbus shows the Take It Down Act works criminally, but not every victim will get a federal prosecutor. The DEFIANCE Act gives victims their own path to accountability.
civic action
Report AI-generated CSAM to the CyberTipline immediately
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.
I'm reporting AI-generated child sexual abuse material. I've discovered content that appears to use a real child's face in sexually explicit material. I understand this is a federal crime under multiple statutes, including the Take It Down Act. I want to file a CyberTipline report so this can be routed to federal investigators.