Incident 1826: Rhode Island Youth Athletics Instructor Allegedly Used AI to Create Sexual Abuse Imagery of Children

Responded
Description: Federal prosecutors alleged that Joseph L. Mello III, a former gymnastics and dance instructor in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, used photographs of children he knew to generate sexually abusive synthetic images and videos with AI tools including SwapX and Grok. Investigators said more than 50 girls were identified as subjects of the alleged imagery. Mello was federally charged, and the allegations have not been adjudicated.
Editor Notes: 12/2025–04/2026: Investigators alleged that AI-generated abusive images and videos of children were created during this period. 04/15/2026: Mello was arrested on a separate state video-voyeurism charge and his devices were seized. 11/09/2026: He was arrested on federal child-exploitation charges. 11/10/2026: Federal allegations were publicly announced. 11/12/2026: A federal detention hearing addressed the allegations and testimony from affected families. 11/14/2026: Incident ID created.

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Incident Stats

Incident ID
1826
Report Count
3
Incident Date
2026-04-15
Editors
Daniel Atherton
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North Smithfield Man Charged with Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses Involving Surreptitious Filming of a Minor and Creating AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material with Images of Minors Known to Him
justice.gov · 2026
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island post-incident response

PROVIDENCE – Joseph L. Mello III, 38, of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, was arrested yesterday, November 9, 2026, in connection with an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Lincoln Police Department wit…

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North Smithfield man accused of creating AI-generated child sexual abuse material
turnto10.com · 2026

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s Office said a former instructor at gymnastics and dance facilities was arrested after allegedly filming a minor and creating artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse mat…

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‘Our daughters knew and trusted him’: Gymnastics instructor in Mass., R.I., allegedly used AI to make pornographic videos of children he coached
bostonglobe.com · 2026

PROVIDENCE — A youth gymnastics and cheerleading instructor who worked across Rhode Island and Massachusetts for more than a decade was charged in federal court this week with allegedly filming students and using AI tools to create sexually…

Variants

A "variant" is an AI incident similar to a known case—it has the same causes, harms, and AI system. Instead of listing it separately, we group it under the first reported incident. Unlike other incidents, variants do not need to have been reported outside the AIID. Learn more from the research paper.
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