COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio man could be sentenced to decades in prison after he pleaded guilty Monday to crimes involving child pornography, including using artificial intelligence to create fake images from photos of real children.

Authorities began investigating Austin Pittman, 35, of Hilliard, in January after receiving multiple tips regarding his activity on Kik messenger, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

Prosecutors say Pittman used the Kik app to send images showing an adult sexually abusing a child. Authorities learned that Pittman also was the target of an investigation in 2024 at Fort Bragg, N.C., after he uploaded nearly 50 child pornography images.

In April, authorities searched Pittman’s residence and seized numerou

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