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CHANDLER, AZ (AZFamily) — An East Valley man is facing felony charges for allegedly possessing AI-generated child porn in the first case of its kind charged by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
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Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that William Powderly, 44, was indicted on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Chandler Police began investigating Powderly after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The attorney’s office says he had numerous images of child sexual abuse, including two where AI was used to put a real child’s face onto sexual images of a young woman.
Court documents state Powderly had several sexual videos involving grade-school and teenage girls.
Investigators tracked his IP address and were able to obtain his cell phone number and home address. He was taken into custody on April 21 at his home near McQueen and Warner roads.
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In an interview with police, court paperwork states Powderly confirmed his address and phone number to investigators, but declined to give details and requested an attorney. He is being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond.
HB 2678, sponsored by GOP Rep. Julie Willoughby, made it illegal to create or possess AI-generated child sex abuse images. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs and took effect in September 2025.
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