East Northport man indicted for allegedly using AI to create child abuse images caught by LIRR commuters
Leonard Suskin is accused of using artificial intelligence to manipulate otherwise innocuous images of children into sexually explicit material, which prosecutors say he then shared with others.
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An East Northport man has been indicted after fellow commuters on the Long Island Rail Road allegedly saw him distributing child sexual abuse images on his phone and alerted police.
Leonard Suskin, 53, is accused of using artificial intelligence to manipulate otherwise innocuous images of children into sexually explicit material, which prosecutors say he then shared with others.
“This defendant allegedly sat on a commuter train and openly viewed and shared child sexual abuse material and was caught when a fellow passenger had the courage to act,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “My office will prosecute anyone who exploits children in Suffolk County. We urge parents to be mindful of the images of their children that they share publicly online, as predators can and do use those images for these purposes.”
In January of this year, while Suskin was commuting on the LIRR another passenger reportedly observed him uploading explicit images into a group chat, recorded the activity through the gap between train seats, and noted Suskin’s stop, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
MTA police later identified Suskin and executed a search warrant on his phone and other electronic devices.
Police say seven devices seized from Suskin contained child sexual abuse material, some of which was allegedly distributed online through social media platforms and a group chat on his phone.
Suskin was arraigned Monday and charged with over 50 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child and two counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child as a sexually motivated felony.
He is scheduled to return to court on May 13 and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on the top charge.
