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Possession of AI-generated child, animal porn
A Milwaukee attorney is charged with ten counts of possession of virtual child pornography.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Milwaukee attorney is charged with ten counts of possession of virtual child pornography.
Warning -- the content in this story is graphic
Attorney accused
What we know:
Prosecutors say 41-year old Trevor Leverson was parked in front of Kettle Range Meat Company in Elm Grove in June. It was 10 a.m. and multiple witnesses say they saw Leverson inside his car watching videos and touching himself.
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For that incident, Leverson was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. But it’s what police say they found on his phone that made prosecutors file felony charges of computer-generated child pornography.
Detectives say they found "AI images depicting anime and photo-realistic style pornography."
Trevor Leverson
"It involves 10 counts – they are all identical to one another: possession of virtual child pornography," said Waukesha County Court Commissioner Christopher Bailey.
Dig deeper:
FOX6 news obtained a search warrant for this case. Elm Grove’s police chief said when he arrived on scene, he personally witnessed Leverson watching a video involving a "horse and large dog."
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"I don’t think someone should ever be prosecuted for a crime that was generated by an AI program," said Anthony Cotton, Leverson's defense attorney.
Cotton stressed his client never exposed himself in public. He also noted Leverson is currently employed as an attorney and partner at Milwaukee law firm Halling and Cayo.
Defense attorney Anthony Cotton
Cotton said a new Wisconsin law criminalizes AI-generated child pornography. But that is being challenged.
"About 20 years ago, this law was struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional because the Supreme Court found that virtual child pornography could constitute first amendment speech," Cotton said.
Trevor Leverson
Prosecutors note the parking lot where Leverson was spotted is just yards away from a children’s play center and an ice cream shop.
What's next:
The court commissioner set cash bond for Leverson at $10,000. He is allowed internet access for work or to communicate with his attorney.
FOX6 News reached out to Leverson's law firm, Halling and Cayo, for a statement. We have not heard back. Leverson's attorney also stressed there are no human victims in this case.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.