Martin County Judge Elizabeth Metzger imposed a prison sentence effectively equal to life on Daniel Warren for using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material. Warren used covert photos of neighborhood children to generate sexualized images that he shared with others, prosecutor Kristen Chase said.
Metzger imposed the minimum allowable sentence under the law, just over 1,000 months per count, after deciding a lesser sentence was not appropriate. Warren was arrested in 2024 and charged with 75 felony counts of possession of child pornography and seven felony counts of video voyeurism. At the time of his arrest, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said it was its first case involving AI and child exploitation.
Chase said the children were Warren's neighbors and their parents had trusted him to behave appropriately around them. A man who identified himself as an extended family member testified before the judge Wednesday. "That would be a detriment to the children to have this man even anywhere near a child," he said.
Before sentencing, Warren expressed remorse and said he had destroyed friendships throughout his community. "I dwell on it every night," Warren said. When his defense attorney asked whether he dwells on the decisions he made, Warren answered, "Absolutely."