Doctor charged with using AI to remove bikinis from social media photos of young girls

Staff report

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Chintan Vimalkumar Shah, 40, a former Associate Clinical Professor at UF and kidney specialist at UF Health Shands, is now facing a total of 47 child pornography charges after investigators reportedly found photos on his phone that appeared to use AI to remove the clothes from real photos of young girls in bikinis, along with at least one adult female who was known to him.

Shah was arrested on July 8 after Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies followed up on a CyberTip about a Kik account that shared a video of a nude pre-pubescent female, and six additional charges were filed following a search of his phone.

An ASO detective reported finding a chat on the Kik platform in which Shah’s account and another account discussed Shah’s “little”; Shah’s account reportedly said his “little” sent him pictures on Snapchat, so he couldn’t download or share them. However, Shah’s account reportedly sent three photos of groups of girls around the age of 13 or 14 in bikinis at a beach; the detective noted that these appeared to be screenshots from social media that Shah had saved to his phone. At least one of the pictures was later uploaded to an AI app that removes the clothing from subjects in a photo.

One photo in the phone reportedly showed an adult woman in a formal gown, standing between two men. A second photo reportedly showed the same woman in the same pose, but she was completely nude; a watermark on the photo indicates that it was created with AI.

Another photo reportedly shows a couple in formalwear, and a second photo is zoomed in on the woman, who is now nude; the photo is otherwise identical to the first photo. The detective noted that a third photo shows Shah with the same couple, indicating that he knows this woman personally.

The sworn complaint lists multiple instances of original photos with juvenile females wearing bikinis and otherwise identical photos that show the same girls in the same poses, with all of their clothes removed and breasts and genitals added with AI. The detective noted that many of these children (the number was not provided) have been identified, and at least some of the parents wish to pursue charges; others are not sure what they are going to do, and the detective has not yet been able to reach some of the parents. The detective noted that most of the girls were 13 or 14 years old when the pictures were taken.

Several photos appeared to be screenshots from social media, and at least one had a screen name, along with a button that said, “Following.”

The detective noted that along with the AI-generated nude photos of juvenile girls, there were also 33 other photos of girls who appear to be juveniles and “numerous” files of “conventional” child sexual abuse material; four of these latter images show children engaged in a sexual act.

In addition to the previous charges, Shah has been charged with 11 counts of possession of AI-generated child pornography, 11 counts of creating AI-generated child pornography, 12 counts of possession of child pornography, and four counts of using a computer to compile a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexual activity with the intent of sharing the images.

Shah is being held without bail.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.