A 38-year-old Palm Coast man has been arrested after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says he used artificial intelligence to generate images depicting child sexual abuse and then uploaded and shared the material online.
The investigation into Robert Ezra Lamb began after the sheriff’s office received a CyberTip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip originated from an online adult-content platform, where files believed to be child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to an account that detectives traced back to Lamb.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the account and reviewed the records and files produced in response. According to the sheriff’s office, detectives found images depicting nude juvenile victims that appeared to have been generated or altered using artificial intelligence, which Lamb had uploaded to the platform. Detectives also located explicit videos that Lamb shared online of himself, including one in which Lamb claimed to depict a sexual act involving himself and a family member.
On February 20, 2026, detectives contacted Lamb and conducted an interview at his Palm Coast residence. During the interview, Lamb told detectives that he created and shared the images using an AI application.
Lamb was arrested on five counts of generated child pornography. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held on $50,000 bond. Lamb has previous arrests for possession of methamphetamine and DUI.
“While AI can be used for good, perverts and criminals always seem to find a way to exploit new technology to commit crimes,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I commend the North Florida INTERCEPT Task Force and Cyber Crimes investigators for following the digital trail which put this offender behind bars. Using AI to make and disseminate child pornography is disgusting and a disturbing act of evil. This sexual deviant didn’t just possess this material; he created it and shared it online. Perverts should know they are not safe hiding behind a computer screen. If you exploit children in any form, our team will relentlessly hunt you down and arrest you.”
Since April 2025, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has served as a member of NEFL INTERCEPT, a regional task force focused on combating child exploitation and human trafficking. The multi-agency initiative operates in partnership with Operation Light Shine and includes investigators and analysts from across Northeast Florida, representing agencies such as the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations.
