Des Plaines Man Charged With Possessing AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material

DES PLAINES, IL — A 44-year-old Des Plaines man has been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated images, following an investigation by the Cook County Sheriff's Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, authorities said.

Adam Bakker was charged with one felony count of obscene depiction of a purported child and one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material, according to Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart.

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The investigation began Feb. 27 after the sheriff's office received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about suspected child sexual abuse material that had been downloaded from the internet and uploaded to a cloud-based service.

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Investigators determined the uploaded files contained sexually explicit images of children and obtained search warrants for electronic and internet service providers, according to the sheriff's office.

Authorities said the IP address used to upload the files was traced to a residence in the 1400 block of East Oakton Street in Des Plaines, where Bakker lived.

On Tuesday, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence and seized a desktop computer. Bakker was also taken into custody.

After Bakker was advised of his Miranda rights, investigators said they learned he had downloaded child pornography and used artificial intelligence to alter some of the images.

A forensic search of the computer found more than 70 files of child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated images, according to the sheriff's office.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved the two felony charges on Wednesday.

Bakker was ordered into Cook County Jail custody following his first appearance Thursday at the Skokie Courthouse.

The charges are accusations, and Bakker is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.