HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General has charged a Mifflin County man with multiple felonies after investigators allegedly discovered both conventional and A.I.-generated child sexual abuse material at his home.
Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that 35-year-old Andrew McCartle II of Lewistown faces 95 felony counts, including 48 related to artificially generated depictions of minors engaged in sexual acts. McCartle was arraigned and held on $1 million bail.
Agents from the Attorney General’s Child Predator Section, with assistance from the Lewistown Police Department, executed a search warrant at a residence on Catherine Street earlier this week. Officials say they located nearly 100 files containing illegal materials on electronic devices, some of which were created using artificial intelligence technology.
Attorney General Sunday described the case as “very disturbing,” noting that it involved “the intentional creation of illegal materials that exploit children.” He emphasized that investigators are using new powers under Act 125, a law enacted in December 2024 that prohibits the creation of A.I.-generated images that “authentically depict a child under 18” in sexual acts that did not occur in reality.
The Office of Attorney General said the charges stemmed from a tip about possible possession of child sexual abuse materials, which led agents to trace the activity to McCartle’s residence. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Jacob Jividen of the Child Predator Section.
All criminal charges are allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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