Press Release

Kansas man pleads guilty to distributing AI-generated child pornography

Thursday, August 6, 2026

TOPEKA, KAN – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to distributing obscene AI-generated images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

According to court documents, Michael Steven Podrybau, 43, of Alton pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children.

Between March 2023 and April 2023, Podrybau used the online communication platform Wickr Pro to distribute computer-generated images that were obscene and depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton is prosecuting the case.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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