A suspected pedophile is accused of filming kids at Disney World with a GoPro, then creating thousands of AI-generated child abuse images that were then distributed on the dark web.
Justin Ryan Culmo allegedly admitted to recording underage victims at theme parks and at least one middle school in Orlando, Florida, in recent years. Forbes magazine reported.citing FBI sources.
According to federal investigators, Carmo is accused of using an AI model called “Stable Diffusion” to transform the videos into realistic images depicting child abuse, which he then posted online under the screen names “Avalanche” and “TheRealAvalanche.”
The perpetrator was eventually tracked down after investigators identified one of the alleged victims and were able to trace the doctored image to the perpetrator, the federal government said.
Upon his arrest, police found numerous child abuse images on his devices and five spy cameras in a locked drawer in his desk, according to the report.
According to Forbes, the suspect was arrested late last year and charged with a string of child exploitation offences, including abusing his two daughters, secretly recording minors and distributing child sexual abuse images online.
Culmo, who has been under federal supervision since at least 2012, has not been charged with using AI to create child sexual abuse material.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due to go on trial next month.
“This case clearly highlights the ruthless exploitation that AI can enable when harnessed by individuals with intent to do harm,” said Jim Cole, a former Homeland Security agent who worked on the case.
“This is not just a serious invasion of privacy, it's an attack on the safety of children in our community.”
But Disney maintains that law enforcement never contacted them about Carmo's alleged crimes.
