First AI Child Sex Material Case Filed By PA Attorney General
by Dan Doyle
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has filed the state’s first charge involving artificially-generated child sexual abuse material under a new law passed in 2024. The announcement marks a landmark use of legislation designed to combat the rise of AI-generated exploitation content.
Luke A. Teipel, 22, of Dallastown, York County, has been charged with 33 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, including over two dozen files determined to be artificially generated. He also faces one felony count of criminal use of a communication facility.
Teipel was arraigned with bail set at $25,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 24.
“This proactive investigation uncovered a defendant weaponizing modern technology to victimize and harm children,” said Attorney General Sunday. “Thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Senators Tracy Pennycuick and Lisa Boscola, we now have a law on the books that enables the filing of serious felony charges in AI cases that we previously could not prosecute.”
Senator Tracy Pennycuick, one of the bill’s sponsors and Chair of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, emphasized the importance of the legislation in addressing the evolving threats posed by artificial intelligence.
“The law now makes it illegal to share intimate images of children and adults without consent, and it prohibits AI from being utilized to generate child sexual abuse material,” said Pennycuick. “I applaud AG Sunday for combating ‘deepfake’ images of minors.”
This case is seen as the first of many to come under the new legal framework, signaling a robust response to digital exploitation crimes in Pennsylvania.