A Palm Coast man was arrested last week for allegedly generating and sharing child sexual abuse material using artificial intelligence. 38-year-old Robert Lamb, an E Section resident, has been in custody at the county jail since last Friday on $50,000 bond.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says they received a tip about Lamb’s alleged activities from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip claimed that Lamb was uploading this content to an adult website, with the files tracing back to his identity.
Detectives obtained a search warrant on the account that posted the materials. According to the FCSO they found images of juveniles depicted in a sexually explicit manner, created or altered using AI. In addition, they discovered an apparently authentic video Lamb captured created of himself in a sexual encounter with a family member. An FCSO spokesperson said this material was not technically illegal as both were adults and intercourse did not occur in the video.
Lamb was interviewed by detectives at his residence on February 20. According to the FCSO, he admitted that he created and shared the images in question using an unspecified AI program. He was arrested on five counts of generated child pornography, which is illegal in Florida whether the face in the materials depicts a real juvenile or not.
Prior to this most recent arrest, Lamb has two prior bookings on file at the county jail. In 2023 he was charged with methamphetamine possession and driving under the influence.
“While AI can be used for good, perverts and criminals always seem to find a way to exploit new technology to commit crimes,” said Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly. “I commend the North Florida INTERCEPT Task Force and Cyber Crimes investigators for following the digital trail which put this offender behind bars. Using AI to make and disseminate child pornography is disgusting and a disturbing act of evil. This sexual deviant didn’t just possess this material; he created it and shared it online. Perverts should know they are not safe hiding behind a computer screen. If you exploit children in any form, our team will relentlessly hunt you down and arrest you.”
