Bethlehem man pleads guilty to producing AI-generated child sexual abuse material
EASTON, Pa. — A Bethlehem man pleaded guilty Monday to possessing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, marking one of the first cases prosecuted under Pennsylvania’s new law banning such depictions.
Adam Erdman, 35, admitted to one count of child sex abuse material at a hearing before Northampton County Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced in a news release. The charge was amended to cover three images Erdman produced.
Erdman is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 15. He faces a possible sentence of five to 10 years in prison. Judge Marks will also determine whether he will be classified as a sexually violent predator.
Erdman was charged on April 17 after an investigation by Bethlehem police. Prosecutors said he was one of the first defendants in the state charged under a statute prohibiting artificially generated sexual depictions of children.
According to investigators, Erdman’s estranged wife contacted police on March 31 after finding an email on his computer with the subject line “still images.” She discovered three AI-generated nude images of juvenile girls.
Detectives said Erdman had downloaded vacation photos of two minors from a parent’s social media account and used AI photo-editing software to make the children appear nude. The altered images were saved to his laptop, authorities said.
The case was investigated by Bethlehem Police Detective Stephen Ewald and is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach.
