The investigation into AI-generated pornographic images of students at Lancaster Country Day School has resulted in two juvenile males being charged in the juvenile system.

In addition, the investigation has determined that there was no criminal failure on behalf of any school employee to report suspected child abuse as it is currently defined by our laws.

TWO JUVENILES CHARGED

Juvenile #1 has been charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, 59 counts of sexual abuse of children, 59 counts of dissemination of photographs, 59 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of dissemination of obscene materials to minors, one count of criminal use of a communication facility, 59 counts of possession of obscene materials depicting a minor and one count of possession of obscene materials. He was also charged with an additional count of possession of child pornography due to the investigation revealing that he possessed unrelated images of child pornography.

Juvenile #2 has been charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, 59 counts of sexual abuse of children, 59 counts of dissemination of photographs, 59 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of dissemination of obscene materials to minors, one count of criminal use of a communication facility, 59 counts of possession of obscene materials depicting a minor and one count of possession of obscene materials.

Identifying information about the defendants is being withheld pursuant to the Juvenile Act.

The charges were filed against the two juveniles for possessing and altering hundreds of images of Lancaster Country Day School students, which they digitally altered using an artificial intelligence application to make the images appear pornographic.

In total, 60 victims have been identified, all females, with 48 of the victims being students at Lancaster Country Day School. The remaining 12 victims were acquaintances of students who appeared in photos used by the juveniles to alter and also have been identified. Fifty-nine of the victims were juveniles and one was over the age of 18.

“The number of victims involved in this case is troubling, and the trauma that they have endured in learning that their privacy has been violated in this manner is unimaginable,” said District Attorney Heather Adams. “The method of abuse here is novel, but the impact on the victims is the same as in any case of child exploitation. It has a deeply harmful effect on the lives it touches. My office will make sure that their voices are heard as justice is sought.”

Both defendants exchanged hundreds of the altered pictures and videos in a private chat room with one another on the social media website Discord. The images were primarily taken from the victims’ social media profiles and then digitally altered to make them appear nude.

A search of Discord records uncovered 347 images and videos depicting the victims in varying levels of nudity.

Conversations between the defendants on Discord showed they obtained the images from the victims’ social media accounts and altered them for them both to “enjoy.”

The two defendants created multiple email addresses in order to continue using the AI application, which Juvenile #1 said needed a “cooling off” period before any more pictures could be altered.

The activity was discovered in November 2023 when Juvenile #1 sent one of the altered images to a different chat room that consisted of other Lancaster Country Day School students, apparently in error. The image was viewed by a student in the chat room who removed the picture and then removed Juvenile #1 from the chat room.

A forensic examination of Juvenile #1’s cellphone also uncovered child pornography images and videos unrelated to the digital image altering.

This investigation remains open and ongoing. Anyone with information including but not limited to any possible additional victims are encouraged to contact Detective Laurel Bair by phone at 717-426-1164 or by email at bairl@srpd27.com.

Detective Laurel Bair with Susquehanna Regional police filed the charges.

Assistant District Attorney Janie Swinehart will prosecute the case.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

INVESTIGATION INTO MANDATORY REPORTER REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the criminal charges, District Attorney Heather Adams has determined that school officials were not required under the letter of the law to report the incident to ChildLine under the current definition of child abuse relating to the mandatory reporting law.

While school officials are mandatory reporters under the Child Protective Services law, the criminal conduct alleged here regarding the possession and dissemination of AI child pornography does not fit within the definition of child abuse under current law. Child-on-child harm is exempted from the definition of child abuse and the crimes charged here are not contained in an enumerated listing of offenses that must be reported regardless of whether the offense was committed by another child. Therefore, no criminal charges will be filed against the school administration.

“I want to thank law enforcement for their diligent investigation of this case and commend our legislature for quickly passing laws to address this novel issue involving the powerful capabilities of AI,” DA Adams said. “Given the broad reach of AI and the harm that can be done as evidenced here, I would urge the legislators to further consider amending our mandatory reporting laws to also include the reporting of AI child pornography.”

The investigation by law enforcement revealed that a “Safe to Say” tip was made in November 2023 and was received by the school. The anonymous tip reported that a named student was rumored to have AI-altered nude images of other students and had sent the images through Discord or other texting apps. The school did not notify law enforcement or file a ChildLine report at that time. 

In May 2024 the school received additional information surrounding the same allegations in the “Safe to Say” tip and filed a ChildLine report on June 4, 2024, but did not separately notify law enforcement. The criminal investigation began after parents notified law enforcement about their concerns.

The state legislature has recently amended two Title 18 crimes to specifically include and define AI child porn, making it a felony of the third degree to possess or disseminate any artificially generated child sexual abuse material and a misdemeanor of the first degree to disseminate with an intent to harass, annoy or alarm an artificially generated sexual depiction of a minor. These crimes are effective into law on Dec. 20, 2024.