A Charlotte man, Daniel Joseph Broadway, 54, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including content generated using artificial intelligence. The sentencing was announced by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
In addition to his 78-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso ordered Broadway to serve a lifetime of supervised release after his sentence. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and pay $17,000 in special assessments along with $15,000 in restitution.
“Child sexual abuse material is harmful in all of its forms, and my office has the experience, expertise, and resolve to keep up with the technology as criminals use new methods to exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Using AI to generate harmful imagery of children is illegal and we will aggressively prosecute those who do so.”
Court documents state that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip in April 2023 indicating that someone was uploading CSAM to an online account; investigators later identified this individual as Broadway. In December 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Broadway’s home and seized nine electronic devices. Forensic analysis found more than 30,000 images and videos of AI-generated CSAM along with over 8,600 images and videos of other CSAM.
Investigators determined that Broadway used an AI platform both to create original images depicting prepubescent minors and to alter existing photos by removing clothing from real individuals.
During sentencing Judge Orso stated: “Congress has observed that child pornography is a permanent record of a child’s abuse,” adding that “those wounds get ripped back open” each time such content is viewed.
Broadway pleaded guilty on April 23, 2025, to charges involving possession and intent to view child pornography related to prepubescent minors under age twelve as well as obscene visual representations involving such minors. He remains in federal custody pending transfer by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Charlotte office together with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to address child exploitation crimes by coordinating efforts among federal prosecutors’ offices along with state and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
