A Texas school janitor has been charged after federal prosecutors say he used artificial intelligence to create child pornography using photos of students.
Daril Martin Gonzales, 55, is charged with one count of possession and attempted possession of child pornography and one count of possession and attempted possession of obscene visual representation of a child, according to an Oct 16 news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
McClatchy News reached out to Gonzales’ attorney for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
Gonzales worked as a janitor for the Anson Independent School District, prosecutors said. He also served as a school sports and cheerleading photographer, where he would take photos of middle and high school students.
McClatchy News reached out to the district for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
“Without the children’s consent, he allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to superimpose the faces of pre-pubescent students onto the faces of adult subjects in sexually explicit videos or to attach AI-generated nude bodies to the faces of the girls,” prosecutors said.
An indictment lists nine victims Gonzales is accused of using images of.
Gonzales “described his crimes as a ‘power trip’ and admitted to viewing child pornography for up to six hours per day for the past 20 to 25 years,” a police report said, according to the release.
“Knowing he took those (photographs) and what he does with them, it really makes me sick to my stomach,” a victim said in the release. “I feel gross, I know it’s not me, but it makes me feel gross and violated and disrespected.”
Another victim said they “felt disgusted, embarrassed, and scared” and were worried the photos could be sold.
“I was embarrassed cause I didn’t want people to think of me in this way when I hadn’t done anything,” the victim said, according to the release.
Gonzales faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Anson is about a 195-mile drive west of Dallas. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
