North Texas teen accused of possessing, uploading AI-generated child sexual abuse material to TikTok, deputies say
A North Texas teen is facing a handful of charges after the Parker County Sheriff's Office said the teen used artificial intelligence to generate nude images of another child before uploading them to TikTok.
The sheriff's office said the Celina Police Department sent them information in September after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in July. The sheriff's office said TikTok had alerted the NCMEC that a user had shared the images on the platform, and the NCMEC then gave the information to Celina Police, as it was initially believed the user lived there. However, information about the user's internet provider later led investigators to Parker County in late September.
Parker County deputies said they executed a search warrant on Oct. 1 at a residence there and learned that the user was 16 years old. Two more search warrants were carried out for the TikTok account, and during an interview, deputies said the teen confessed to taking photos of a younger child and using AI to alter the images to make the child appear nude.
The sheriff's office also said evidence indicated the suspect had used photos of at least three other victims for the same purpose, and that investigators identified all of the victims and notified their families.
The teen suspect was processed at the Parker County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 8, and deputies said the teen was released to their parents under state law. The suspect is now charged with possession of child pornography – a second-degree felony – along with voyeurism of a child victim and possession of certain visual material depicting a child, both of which are state jail felonies. Parker County deputies note the suspect now awaits juvenile court proceedings.
Texas man sentenced to 30 years for sexual exploitation of children in the Central Valley of CA
FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A 51-year-old Texas man who prosecutors say posed online as a child to target minors in the Central Valley has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California in Fresno.
Thomas Henry Lopez of Spring, Texas, was convicted of two counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material, and one count of transfer of obscene material to a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
Lopez was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release. During that time, he will be required to register as a sex offender, and his access to computers, cellphones and the internet will be restricted. He was also ordered to pay $24,400 in financial assessments.
“Although the defendant lived an outwardly respectable life, he secretly exploited vulnerable minors through an online platform,” Grant said. “The offenses for which he pleaded guilty represent only two of many victims of his disgusting conduct. This sentence will safeguard the public and prevent the defendant from harming other victims. Our office remains committed to protecting children and to holding fully accountable anyone who sexually exploits children.”
Lopez pleaded guilty to the charged offenses in July without a plea agreement.
According to court documents, between June and July 2024, Lopez contacted minors in the Central Valley through TikTok and continued to communicate with them through text messages and the encrypted application JusTalk. Authorities said he posed as a 12-year-old boy from Texas and persuaded victims to create and send illicit videos and images. During the communications, investigators said Lopez also sent the victims sexually explicit images of himself and others.
The Kingsburg Police Department received the report on July 1st, and detectives began investigating the unknown male who was using an online app to communicate with two minor girls, ages 9 and 11.
Investigators identified Lopez through internet connections at his home and workplace, where he worked as a principal wells engineer at a multinational corporation, according to court documents.
On Sept. 3, 2024, Lopez was arrested as he was leaving for a work trip to Singapore. Multiple electronic devices were seized during a search of his residence, court documents said.
“Thomas Lopez befriended and ultimately exploited vulnerable children who had no idea he was not the 12-year-old he claimed to be. We are grateful to the Kingsburg Police Department for their professionalism and commend the brave survivors and their families for trusting us to conduct a thorough investigation to hold Lopez accountable for his depraved crime,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh. “This case is an example of the collaborative work the FBI is doing to identify and investigate predators who use the anonymity of online communication to exploit our nation’s children. Justice will find you, always.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, principally the Kingsburg, California Police Department, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Knoxville woman facing dozens of child sex abuse charges, records say
The case centers on 33-year-old Desiwray Jewell Davis. KCSO said the investigation into Davis began when the sheriff’s office got a tip about her, prompting deputies who are part of the task force to investigate.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged a woman after a sexual abuse investigation headed up by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the office announced Wednesday morning.
The case centers on 33-year-old Desiwray Jewell Davis. KCSO said the investigation into Davis began when the sheriff’s office got a tip about her, prompting deputies who are part of the task force to investigate.
“Through coordinated investigative efforts, interviews were conducted, evidence was collected, and electronic devices were seized,” KCSO said. “The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) intervened and removed the children from the residence, placing them in a safe environment.”
Davis is now in Knox County custody, according to KCSO. Court records show she’s facing 28 charges, including rape of a child.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a collaborative team made up of law enforcement officers from all over Tennessee, including at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The team investigates online crimes against minors.
Repeat offender from Indianapolis sentenced to almost 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation crimes
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to almost 20 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to the United States Department of Justice press release, Andrew Scott Whitaker Jr., 30, was also ordered to pay restitution to 15 of his identified victims, which totals to be around $47,500.
Court documents say that Whitaker sent multiple images and videos containing CSAM to different people on Dec. 27, 2024, using Kik, a social media messaging application.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant of his home in March 2025, recovering a cell phone that contained around 2,280 images and 1,109 videos of CSAM. Investigators also found a second Kik account that Whitaker used for the same criminal conduct.
Whitaker was on federal supervised release stemming from a 2021 conviction for possession and access with intent to view CSAM during the time of his 2024 arrest, according to the release.
“This dangerous offender exploited a social media platform to circulate the horrific abuse of the most vulnerable among us, all while already on federal supervised release for the same reprehensible conduct,” Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana said. “Those who gather online to revel in the exploitation of children should know that we will identify you, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable."
How to report suspect child sex abuse or child sexual abuse material
If you suspect a child is being sexually abused, report it to law enforcement immediately.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) refers to child sexual abuse material as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. NCMEC says these images and videos not only exploit victims of abuse but revictimize them each time it is shared and viewed.
You can report child sexual abuse material to the NCMEC's CyberTipline, which is made available to law enforcement. To learn more about how to make a report and what happens afterward, tap HERE.
