AI Image Manipulation: Fishers Man Charged in 20 Felony Counts

Charles Coriaty, a 63-year-old resident of Fishers, Indiana, is currently held in the Hamilton County jail in Noblesville on a $2.5 million cash-only bond. The bond was set by a judge in Hamilton Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon, following his formal indictment on 20 felony counts related to the digital alteration of images.

The Hamilton County Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force announced the preliminary charges on Monday, which were formally filed three days later. Prosecutors accuse Coriaty of using an artificial intelligence application to modify clothed photographs of young people. The original images, sourced from swimsuits or sports advertisements, were edited to make the subjects appear nude. The charges include 10 counts of child exploitation, seven counts of possession of child pornography, and three counts of possession of child sex abuse material.

The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip from SmugMug, an online image hosting platform. The tip included approximately 175 images, many of which had been altered with the AI tool. Detectives subsequently executed a warrant to search Coriaty’s SmugMug account, where they discovered additional child sexual abuse material.

A second warrant allowed detectives to search Coriaty’s home. There, they found more images stored in computer folders labeled “Teen Models,” “Braces,” and “School Portraits.” The task force, which operates out of the Fishers Police Department, is a collaborative unit involving detectives from six local police departments, two county sheriff’s offices, and U.S. Homeland Security. The group investigates internet crimes against children across Hamilton, Hancock, Madison, and Tipton counties.

Coriaty remains in custody in Noblesville while the legal process moves forward. The task force’s release confirmed the formal charging schedule but did not specify the exact date the bond amount was finalized, only noting it was set during the Wednesday court proceedings.