On Tuesday, First Lady Melania Trump expressed her support for a significant milestone— the first conviction under a law she has strongly advocated against AI-generated images related to child sexual abuse and non-consensual pornography.
James Straller, a 37-year-old man, admitted guilt in a U.S. District Court in Ohio for cyberstalking, creating obscene images of child sexual abuse, and publishing digital fakes, all violations of the Take It Down law, which was signed into law by both the First Lady and President Trump last year.
“Today is an important day as it marks the first conviction under the Take It Down Act, which is designed to safeguard victims from non-consensual sexually explicit images created with AI, as well as threats and cyberstalking,” Melania noted in a message on X.
She went on to thank U.S. Attorney Dominic S. Jealous II for his efforts to protect Americans from online crimes in this evolving digital landscape.
Last year, Melania made a notable appearance in Congress to urge lawmakers to enact laws criminalizing the spread of non-consensual sexual imagery, which includes both traditional revenge porn and AI-generated content of child sexual abuse.
The Take It Down Act gained significant support, passing the House with a striking 409-2 vote and achieving unanimous approval in the Senate.
Legal consequences under the law are quite severe. If an image depicts an adult, offenders could face up to two years in federal prison, while those involving minors could see up to three years. Websites are mandated to remove any violating content within 48 hours of notification, with enforcement overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.
Between December 2024 and June 2025, Straller was involved in a harassment scheme utilizing over 24 AI platforms and more than 100 AI models on his mobile device, as reported by federal prosecutors.
Straller targeted at least six adult women, sending them harassing messages that included both real and AI-generated explicit images. Disturbingly, he allegedly created videos showing one adult victim in sexual acts with her father and distributed these to her colleagues.
Furthermore, he threatened the mothers of these women, warning them that he would share explicit images of their daughters unless they provided naked photos, leaving traumatic voicemails in the process.
Authorities discovered that Straller generated over 700 images of actual victims and animated figures, posting them on a site linked to child sexual abuse. They also found around 2,400 other images and videos on his phone that depicted nudity, child sexual abuse, or violence.
Prosecutors have accused him of using AI technology to alter the faces of local underage boys, placing them on adult bodies and crafting videos that depicted sexual acts involving their mothers and grandmothers.
“We believe Mr. Straller is the first individual to be convicted under the Take It Down Act,” stated U.S. Attorney Dominic Gerace II. “We absolutely do not support the disgusting act of sharing such intimate AI-generated images of individuals without their consent. We are committed to utilizing every tool available to ensure that individuals like Straller, who engage in such abhorrent behavior, are held accountable.”
Sentencing for Mr. Straller is forthcoming.
