A Texas man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for possessing obscene images of minors created using artificial intelligence. U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber handed down the sentence to Daniel Weatherly, 42, of Brownwood, Texas. In addition to his prison term, Weatherly will serve three years of supervised release and is prohibited from having contact with minors after his release. Weatherly pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025.
Court documents state that Weatherly used a cellphone application capable of generating high-quality visual images based on text prompts. He used this tool to create explicit images depicting minors between the ages of five and eight engaged in sexual activity.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation with significant help from the North Port Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Claire Favorit and Abigail K. King prosecuted the case.
“This is another case 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.”
