Idaho man sentenced for child sex abuse material, including AI-generated images, AG says

CANYON COUNTY, Idaho (CBS2) — An Idaho man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material, including images generated using artificial intelligence, according to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced that James Anthony Halma, 27, was convicted of two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material (Child Pornography) and one count of Possession of Generated AI CSAM. Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Possession of Generated AI CSAM is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Halma was sentenced on March 12 by Canyon County District Court Judge Gabriel McCarthy. McCarthy sentenced Halma to a total of 25 years in prison and ordered that he be eligible for parole after three years. Halma will be required to register as a sex offender under Idaho law.

The case began in October 2024, when the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received a CyberTip indicating that a Kik account, later identified as belonging to Halma, had files containing child sexual abuse material. After obtaining search warrants, officers seized Halma’s digital devices.

Forensic examiners from the Office of the Attorney General located about 100 files containing child sexual abuse material on Halma’s phone, depicting the sexual abuse of children under the age of 16 and as young as 3 being sexually abused.

“Every arrest and conviction our team gets in these deeply disturbing cases helps make Idaho communities safer,” Labrador said. “I’m proud of the continued work by our ICAC investigators, prosecutors, and local law enforcement partners across the state who help in our mission to protect Idaho families and hold these criminals accountable.”