(From a press release)
Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against a York County man regarding possession of more than two dozen files of artificially-generated child sexual abuse material — the first time the Office of Attorney General has filed the charge since it was passed into law in 2024.
Luke A. Teipel, 22, of Dallastown, is charged with 33 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, including the artificially-generated images, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
Teipel was recently arraigned and bail was 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,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Due to the bipartisan leadership of Senators Tracy Pennycuik 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. These charges are just a first step in using this new law to protect our communities and our children.”
“As sponsor of this legislation and Chair of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, I’m pleased to see this law being successfully utilized by the Attorney General’s office to bring those who would harm children to justice,” said Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery). “The law now makes it illegal to share intimate images of children and adults without consent addressing the use of AI technology for this purpose. In addition, it prohibits AI from being utilized to generate child sexual abuse material. I applaud AG Sunday for combating “deepfake” images of minors and child sexual abuse materials generated by AI and prosecuting those individuals who commit these heinous crimes.”
During the Office of Attorney General investigation, agents discovered numerous files of suspected child sexual abuse material that was traced back to a device owned by Teipel. During a search of Teipel’s home, agents recovered a cell phone in the kitchen, containing 29 files of alleged artificially-generated child sexual abuse material.
The investigation is ongoing into how the materials were created. Charges were also filed regarding non-artificial images found on the phone and a laptop computer at Teipel’s home.
Last year, the Office of Attorney General offered input on ACT 125, which updated prior laws to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence technology to create materials that appear to “authentically depict a child under 18” engaging in sexually abusive acts that did not occur in reality.
This case will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Janie Swinehart. Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
