Teipel

HARRISBURG — A York County man allegedly found in possession of more than two dozen files of artificially generated child sexual abuse material is facing charges under a new law barring such actions.

State Attorney General Dave Sunday said the case against Luke A. Teipel, 22, of Dallastown, is the first time the Office of Attorney General has filed the charge since it was passed into law in 2024.

Teipel 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.

He 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,” Sunday said. “Due 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. These charges are just a first step in using this new law to protect our communities and our children.”

Pennycuick said the new law 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 used to generate child sexual abuse material.

During the 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 cellphone 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 nonartificial 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.