A U.S. Air Force employee was arrested for secretly taking photos of children in order to create AI child abuse images.
Airman Caleb French, who was stationed in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, with the U.S. Air Force, was arrested on December 19.
He is facing one count each of having and distributing child pornography and could be jailed for up to 20 years if convicted.
According to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, French is accused of “surreptitiously” taking photos of kids in the community to turn into AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
In August, 27-year-old French was reported by an anonymous tipster to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The tipster claimed French “wanted to commit sexual assaults against minors.”
Authorities then searched French’s home “and recovered multiple digital devices allegedly containing over a thousand images and videos depicting child sexual abuse,”
According to a report by The Sacramento Bee, investigators allegedly later watched French at a reindeer farm where he appeared to be filming a young child, who was there with their family, with a smartphone.
“[French] appeared to gravitate toward a family with a young child and was purportedly seen panning with his phone in the direction of the child and may have surreptitiously photographed the child,” prosecutors said.
French left after the child and the family did, according to prosecutors. In December, another search of French’s “home, person and vehicle” also allegedly “recovered additional devices that are being reviewed.”
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