On October 23rd, Butler County charged twenty-year old Benjamin T. Staiger with forty-two felony counts of sexual abuse of children and felony criminal use of a communication facility, and twenty-two misdemeanor counts of stalking, invasion of privacy, and unlawful dissemination of intimate images. Staiger is accused of stalking a former partner by posting intimate photos of them online and using the internet to disseminate artificially-generated child sex abuse material. After police arrested Staiger at his home, he was arraigned and the court set bail at $100,000.
Through its investigation, the Attorney General has identified multiple of the victims Staiger reportedly abused and posted photographs of on Twitter/X. None of the alleged victims consented to the photographs being published, and several were children when the photographs were taken. Some of the photos found in the investigation were of the victims engaging in intimate activities, and Staiger is accused of artificially altered some to appear as “deepfakes.”
To find someone guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material, the prosecution must prove that the person intentionally viewed or knowingly possessed or controlled any book, magazine, pamphlet, slide, photograph, film, videotape, computer depiction, or other material depicting a child under 18 years of age or artificially generated child engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of a prohibited sexual act. In December 2023, the Pennsylvania legislature amended 18 Pa.C.S.A.§ 6312 with Act 125 to allow law enforcement to pursue investigations involving artificially-generated materials.
To find someone guilty of unlawful dissemination of intimate images, the government must prove that the person disseminated, with the intent to harass, alarm or annoy another, a visual depiction of a current or former sexual partner in a state of nudity or engaged in sexual conduct, or an artificially generated sexual depiction of an individual. Staiger allegedly posted artificially-altered photographs on Twitter/X of children engaging in sexually explicit acts. While it may not be the children engaging in all these acts, they are being sexualized and exploited against their will as he uses their identity as the base of his images.
The CSE Institute agrees with Attorney General Dave Sunday and commends him for stating “[t]his case demonstrates the depth of depravity and exploitation available to bad actors who choose to weaponize modern technology and social media.” This case clearly illustrates the harm resulting from the malicious use of artificial intelligence and modern technology to exploit others through real or artificial pornography and child sexual abuse material.
Pornography consumption has been linked to the sexual objectification of others, a higher likelihood of expressing an intent to rape, and sexual acts of violence. Because of pornography’s addictive nature, it often leads to heightened consumption of violent pornography. Pornography addiction can lead to increased consumption of violent pornography through escalation and sensitization as the brain requires more intense stimuli for arousal after prolonged exposure to extreme material. The desire for a more intense stimulation for arousal can transition to the desire to purchase sex acts. In this case, when dealing with the possession of child sexual abuse material, there is not only the present exploitation of a child through online distribution, but also the possible future harm of the solicitation of a sex act from a child, which under state and federal law is sex trafficking.
Child sexual abuse material is the preferred term over child pornography because it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. Accordingly, Pennsylvania changed the statute name from “child pornography” to “child sex abuse material” to match this line of thinking. It is not “content,” it is a crime, and technology—AI, hidden encrypted apps, forums, and social media—are making the problem worse. From 2013 to 2021, the number of CyberTipline reports received by NCMEC increased from 500,000 to almost 30 million. According to a study from End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) International, over half of CSAM victims (56.2%) are pre-pubescent children and a majority (84.2%) of known CSAM involves severe abuse. This data illustrates the risks AI poses to children’s safety, the upsetting reality that people use these platforms and technology to exploit children, and the importance of calling the product what it truly is: child sexual abuse material.
Bail was posted and Staiger was placed on electronic monitoring. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 12, 2025.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.