National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

A Tennessee woman was sentenced to over 28 years in federal prison for producing and selling child sexual abuse material involving two children under 14. She was convicted of conspiracy, child sex trafficking, and distributing child pornography, with the investigation initiated after law enforcement received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Jacob David Sampson, a father of three from Howell, Livingston County, admitted to the FBI that his sexual interest is in female children aged 6 to 13 and was charged with federal offenses including sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. Investigators linked him to Kik and Dropbox accounts used to distribute child sexually abusive material, and he is scheduled for a court hearing on August 5, 2026.

Ian Halligan, 34, was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor after an investigation into his Snapchat account. The investigation followed a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and found he was allegedly soliciting inappropriate images of children. Halligan is being held on a $100,000 bond.

A Tennessee man was arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor after inappropriate images of children were found in his Snapchat account. The arrest followed an investigation by Nashville metro police, who received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in January. The suspect is being held in jail with a $100,000 bond.

A Tennessee man was arrested and charged with distributing child sexual abuse material via the KIK app. Duncan Alexander Redmond was taken into custody after an investigation led by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and Paris Police linked him to the distribution. His phone was seized for forensic examination, and he is being held on a $250,000 bond.

A 23-year-old Lauderhill man, Keysean Mash, was arrested for allegedly exploiting at least six children online through sexually explicit conversations and soliciting explicit material. Authorities charged him with 27 felony counts, including possession of child pornography and solicitation, and set his bond at $215,000 with strict conditions.

A November 2025 cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to the arrest of a suspect by the Colorado Springs Police Department on July 7, 2026, related to child sex abuse material.

A class-action lawsuit against xAI's Grok tool has expanded to include two teenage plaintiffs alleging nonconsensual deepfake child sexual assault material (CSAM) was created using their photos. The lawsuit claims Grok's accessibility enabled a stepfather and an unrelated adult to generate and distribute thousands of illicit images, with xAI failing to assist law enforcement in identifying perpetrators. Stability AI is also named for its Stable Diffusion model's alleged use of CSAM-trained data.

A deputy from Douglas County, Nebraska, was fired in May after an investigation found policy violations, including possession of child abuse material, using AI to generate nude images of juvenile female members of the Explorer program and female deputies, and being intoxicated while on leave. The deputy appealed his termination, claiming insufficient evidence and rights violations, but the sheriff’s office denied the appeal, and the Merit Commission is scheduling a hearing.

A deputy from Douglas County, Nebraska, was fired after an investigation found policy violations, including allegations of possessing child abuse material and using AI to generate nude images. The deputy has appealed his termination, claiming insufficient evidence and rights violations, while the sheriff’s office denied the appeal based on additional findings.

A deputy from Douglas County, Nebraska was fired after an investigation found policy violations, including allegations of possessing child abuse material and using AI to generate nude images. The investigation was triggered by a cyber tip linking his iCloud account to potential child sexual abuse material, and he has appealed his termination, claiming insufficient evidence.

A child reported missing in Arizona in May was found in a homeless encampment in Olympia, Washington, after being believed to be a victim of sex trafficking. U.S. Marshals and local authorities located her at 'The Jungle,' a 20-acre encampment with high criminal activity, and handed her over to child welfare agencies.

A child reported missing in Arizona in May was found in a homeless encampment in Washington state after being identified as a potential sex trafficking victim. U.S. Marshals and local agencies located the child at 'The Jungle' encampment in Olympia, which has high criminal activity. The child's identity was not disclosed.

A child reported missing in Arizona in May was found in a homeless encampment in Olympia, Washington, after being identified as a potential sex trafficking victim. U.S. Marshals and local agencies located the child at a high-risk encampment called 'The Jungle' and handed her over to child welfare authorities. The child's identity remains undisclosed.

A 21-year-old man was arrested by the Colorado Springs Police Department following a months-long investigation into child sexual exploitation allegations. The Internet Crimes Against Children unit received cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The Supreme Court upheld Pedro Hernandez's conviction for the 1979 kidnapping and murder of Etan Patz, rejecting a lower court's order for a new trial. The case involved legal disputes over Hernandez's confession and its admissibility under Miranda rights and the 2004 Missouri v. Seibert ruling.

A 43-year-old Cookeville man was arrested and charged with child sex crimes after police traced illegal downloads to his residence. The investigation began when Google alerted authorities about uploaded files, leading to a search warrant that recovered child sexual abuse material from his cellphone.

A Cookeville man was arrested after a cybertip investigation linked him to child sexual abuse material. Detectives executed a search warrant at his residence, seizing a cellphone containing the material, leading to charges against Justin Whitaker.

A 30-year-old Wayne County man, Peter Caleb-Anthony Qaoud, was arrested on charges of producing and possessing child pornography after the FBI received an anonymous tip about his online threats against minors. FBI investigators found evidence through Instagram's cyber tip to NCMEC, which included explicit messages and videos exchanged with a user claiming to be a 16-year-old girl, leading to a search warrant and his arrest.

A Tennessee man accused of abusing children and linked to the online extremist group 764 pleaded not guilty to charges including sexual exploitation and distribution of child sexual abuse material. The Justice Department alleges he victimized multiple children, with one victim later dying of an overdose, and FBI investigations uncovered extensive crimes dating back to 2022.

Fort Worth police and the FBI, using an electronic storage-detection K-9 named Copper, arrested 15 individuals accused of child sex exploitation and seized 150 electronic devices during 'Operation Wolf Pack.' The operation targeted hidden devices that may contain illegal material, with K-9s also trained to comfort child victims.

A Plattsburgh man was arrested on May 11, 2026, for possession of child pornography following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro determined the defendant poses a danger to the community and ordered his detention.

The Federal Trade Commission will begin enforcing a provision of the Take It Down Act on May 19, requiring websites and online services to remove nonconsensual deepfake media within 48 hours or face fines and investigation. The law aims to protect individuals from harmful abuse, especially children. Companies that fail to comply may face a maximum civil penalty of $53,088 per violation.

More than 70 million warnings were sent to individuals searching for child abuse material online, informing them of the illegality of their searches and directing them towards help. The initiative aims to deter users from accessing harmful content. The warnings are part of a larger effort to combat child abuse.

Arizona has indicted William Powderly for creating AI-generated child pornography under a new law (HB2678) that equates AI-generated images with real child sexual abuse material. The law, supported by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, charges Powderly with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, with potential life probation if convicted.

The girlfriend of a famous 'looksmaxxer' discovered child porn on his phone after suspecting him of cheating, according to police reports. The incident led to a police investigation. The 'looksmaxxer' is a term associated with a subculture focused on physical appearance.

Criminals are using photos from school websites to create child sex abuse imagery and then blackmailing headmasters. Experts warn that this is a growing concern. The images are being used to extort money from school officials.