Tampa Defense Lawyer for AI-Related Crimes

If police or federal agents are asking about images, videos, or messages made with artificial intelligence, you may feel frightened and unsure where to turn. You may not even know whether anything that happened is a crime.

The internet is full of answers about AI and the law, and many are incomplete, out of date, or wrong for your situation. These laws are new and changing quickly, and how they apply depends on the facts and on how courts interpret them. Real answers come from a private conversation with a defense lawyer.

“The law on AI is moving faster than any website can keep up with. Don’t try to figure out your situation from a search engine or a chatbot. Call me, and let’s talk about it privately.”

— Attorney Ron Frey

Attorney Ron Frey of The Frey Law Firm, LLC represents people in AI-related investigations and criminal cases in Hillsborough and Pinellas County courts, throughout Florida, and in federal court in the Middle District of Florida.

Call or text (813) 775-2276 for a free, confidential consultation. Rapid response, 24/7.

AI Issues That Bring People to Us

People contact us about situations involving AI tools, chatbots, and agentic AI, including:

• AI-generated or AI-altered sexual images, including images involving minors
• Sexual “deepfakes” of real people
• Threats to post or share AI-generated images
• Voice cloning, impersonation, and AI-assisted scams or fraud
• Concerns about prompts, chatbot conversations, or other AI activity that could come up in an investigation
• Contact from police, federal agents, a school, or an employer about AI-generated content

Questions People Ask Us

People who call us often ask questions like these:

• Is what I did, or what I’m accused of, actually a crime?
• Does it matter that the content was made with AI?
• Can my AI prompts or chatbot conversations be used as evidence?
• Can investigators get my AI account history?
• Police took my phone or computer but didn’t arrest me. What happens now?
• Should I talk with the detective or agent who contacted me?
• Will my case be in state court or federal court?
• What could I be facing?

The honest answer to each is that it depends on the facts and the law that applies, and these aren’t questions for an internet search or a chatbot. Call (813) 775-2276 for a free, confidential consultation, and we can talk through your situation privately.

Florida and Federal Law

Both Florida and federal law include statutes that can apply to conduct involving AI. In Florida, these include laws on generated and altered sexual images involving minors (sections 827.072 and 827.071, Florida Statutes) and a law on sexually explicit altered images of identifiable people (section 836.13). At the federal level, laws on sexual images of minors, the TAKE IT DOWN Act, and wire fraud and identity theft laws can all come into play.

These laws are new, several have changed recently, and courts are still deciding how they apply to AI. What a statute means in any one case depends on the facts, the dates involved, and how courts interpret it. This summary may not be complete or current and is no substitute for talking with a lawyer.

When an Investigation Is Just Beginning

Many AI-related investigations begin quietly, with a platform report, a complaint, or a records request to a technology company. Some people first hear about it when officers or agents arrive with a search warrant or ask to “just talk.” Wherever you are in that process, the early stage is often when a defense lawyer’s involvement matters most. When you call, there’s no need to send images, files, or screenshots.

How Attorney Ron Frey Approaches AI-Related Cases

Attorney Ron Frey has over two decades of experience defending people in state and federal criminal cases, and much of his practice involves computer and internet crime investigations. In an AI-related matter, the questions he looks at include:

• How was the content made, and by whom?
• What exactly does the government claim, and what would it have to prove?
• How was the evidence gathered, and was the search lawful?
• Is this a state matter, a federal matter, or could it become either?
• What do the forensic facts actually show?

He can work with independent forensic examiners when the evidence calls for it and explains each step in plain English. No lawyer can promise a result, but his goal is for you to understand where you stand and what your options are.

Attorney Frey is licensed in Florida, Ohio, and North Carolina and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and to federal district courts in all three states, including the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida.

More Information

• Tampa Federal Criminal Defense: Middle District of Florida
• Help for First-Time Offenders
• AI Crimes & the Law: articles from Attorney Ron Frey
• For national information, visit our internet crime defense site, InternetCrime.com.

Call Before You Rely on What You Read Online

Your consultation is free and confidential. You can talk with us by phone, by video, or at our Tampa office, and when the situation calls for it, we can come to you. Call or text (813) 775-2276. Rapid response, 24/7.

Important: This page provides general information only. It is not legal advice, and it is not a complete or current statement of the law. Laws involving artificial intelligence are changing quickly, and their meaning depends on the facts of each case and on how courts interpret them. Please don’t rely on this page, or on any other information online, to make decisions about your situation. Talk with a lawyer. Reading this page or contacting The Frey Law Firm, LLC does not create an attorney-client relationship. Last reviewed: October 8, 2026.