By John Ogunsemore
A United States Army personnel, Seth Herrera faces up to 20 years in prison following his arrest on criminal charges related to his alleged transportation, receipt and possession of files depicting child sexual abuse, and use of AI to generate sexually explicit images of children.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed Herrera’s arrest in a statement published on its website on Monday, August 26.
The DoJ said the 34-year-old soldier stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested last week.
According to court documents, Herrera allegedly transported, received and possessed files depicting child sexual abuse.
Herrera also allegedly used online AI chatbots to generate realistic child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) depicting minors known to him.
He is charged with one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
The DoJ said the suspect will make his initial court appearance on Tuesday, August 27 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
US Deputy Attorney General, Lisa Monaco said, “The misuse of cutting-edge generative AI is accelerating the proliferation of dangerous content, including child sexual abuse material — so the Department of Justice is accelerating its enforcement efforts.
“As alleged, the defendant used AI tools to morph images of real kids into horrific child sexual abuse material. Criminals considering the use of AI to perpetuate their crimes should stop and think twice — because the Department of Justice is prosecuting AI-enabled criminal conduct to the fullest extent of the law and will seek increased sentences wherever warranted.”
US Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska sad, “Technology may change, but our commitment to protecting children will not.
“We will aggressively pursue those who produce and traffic in child sexual abuse material (CSAM), no matter how that material was created. Put simply, CSAM generated by AI is still CSAM, and those who sexually exploit children, through whatever technological means, will be held accountable by our office in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, for justice and the safety of our children.”