Peachtree City Man Charged with 49 Counts of Child Exploitation Using AI-Altered Images

A Peachtree City man, Justin Maloy, 42, is facing 49 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child after police say he used artificial intelligence applications to alter photos of a known minor into pornographic images.

Lt. Chris Hyatt, Public Information Officer of the Peachtree City Police Department, said the investigation began when a woman came to police on September 15 to report disturbing images she found on her soon to be ex-spouse’s cellphone.

Hyatt said, “Through the course of the investigation, forensic evidence was obtained of the phone in question and confirmed a plethora of pornographic images of an underage minor.”

Hyatt said investigators determined the photos were ‘AI-altered images.’

“There are applications out there where, of course, you can use your imagination, but you can take basic, generic photos of an individual and through the use of certain applications, render them completely nude and in compromising positions,” he said. “This individual had done that with multiple photos of our female victim.”

AI misuse and investigation timeline

Hyatt explained that even though the images were digitally altered, the fact that they depicted a minor made them illegal.

“If I take a photo of a 15-year-old and I modify it to where it becomes pornography—it is pornography,” he said.

He added that investigators quickly built the case.

“The report came in mid-September, and by October 10, the chief magistrate judge found probable cause to issue the 49 warrants,” Hyatt said. “We’re talking just shy of a month to have a full forensic evidence overlay of a cell phone done. Our investigator poured her time into this case to make sure that it was ironclad.”

Custody and arrest

According to Hyatt, Maloy, lives in Peachtree City but was picked up in DeKalb County after authorities there discovered the active warrants.

Maloy was transferred to the Fayette County Jail on October 24. His bond status had not been confirmed as of press time.

Update: According to officials at the Fayette County Jail, Justin Maloy bonded out on October 26, 2025.

No evidence of additional victims

Hyatt said the investigation has not revealed evidence of other victims or physical abuse. He added that detectives confirmed the case was limited to one known victim, a minor who Maloy knew personally.

“This was a completely contained and isolated incident where he had one sole victim off of his intentions, and they had the known relationship that already existed,” Hyatt said.

AI and community caution

Hyatt said the case underscores a growing problem as technology advances faster than laws and awareness.

“AI opened up doors that a lot of people weren’t prepared for,” he said. “It can be like every other piece of technology—an extremely valuable tool with endless capabilities—but just like everything else, it eventually gets turned into malicious intent usages.”

He urged the public to use caution with new AI tools and to understand the legal implications of misuse.

Maloy faces 49 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one for each image. The case remains under investigation by the Peachtree City Police Department.