Joseph Mello was charged with attempted production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of and access with intent to view child pornography, and production of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island. He appeared in Providence District Court and remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.

According to an affidavit, Mello attempted to create child sexual abuse material by filming a child in a bathroom and changing area at a dance studio where he took classes. Investigators allege he also secretly photographed a 12-year-old girl changing in a bathroom at one of the dance facilities and later told detectives he did it for the "thrill and sexual gratification."

Prosecutors say Mello took photos of multiple children at the facilities where he worked and used those images to generate AI-created explicit images and videos on programs including Grok and SwapX. The affidavit describes prompts he allegedly wrote, such as, "Keep the facial features of the subject in the reference image unchanged and remove her clothes." In other instances, he allegedly directed the programs to depict the children performing sexual acts.

When investigators searched "SwapX" on Mello's phone, they said they found 953 videos and 2,881 images. He also allegedly possessed other child sexual abuse material.

The case highlights what researchers say is a fast-growing and difficult-to-police form of exploitation. "The issue with generative A.I. is that with the advent of so-called 'nudify' or undress tools, people are able to rapidly just upload a single image of a child and you get back a nude or undressed version of that child's picture," said Raina Pfefferkorn, who studies the harms of generative AI on child safety at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered A.I.

Pfefferkorn said such tools are built largely for illegitimate purposes and often lack safeguards against misuse involving minors. "This [is] a new way of committing an existing crime," she said, adding that the technology removes the need for technical skills and allows offenders to victimize multiple people quickly.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda called the allegations a stark warning about emerging technology. "This case is a disturbing reminder that rapidly evolving technology can be weaponized to exploit children," Calenda said. "As alleged, the defendant used artificial intelligence and other digital tools to create sexually explicit depictions of real children. While the technology may be new, the harm is not. Behind every image is a child victim whose safety, privacy, and dignity have been violated."

Mello was also charged with video voyeurism in April; that case is pending.

Federal prosecutors said there may be additional victims and witnesses. They asked anyone whose child had close contact with Mello, or who is aware of him photographing or contacting children, to contact Homeland Security New England Victim Assistance at HSINewEnglandVictimAssistance@hsi.dhs.gov.