Florida AG James Uthmeier Sues Company Behind A2E, Saying the AI Platform Lets Users Create Sexually Explicit Images of Children

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has sued the company behind A2E, an artificial intelligence image platform, accusing it of letting users turn photos of real people, including children, into sexually explicit pictures and videos. The civil complaint, announced Wednesday at a news conference in Orlando, was filed in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court in Sarasota County against Rengstorff Consulting, a Nevada firm that owns A2E.

The 26-page suit claims the company engaged in unconscionable, deceptive and unfair practices under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It asks a judge to bar Rengstorff Consulting from offering AI products in Florida that let users create nonconsensual sexualized images or child sexual abuse material, and seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, according to Florida Politics. Uthmeier also said his office is looking at possible criminal offenses.

What the lawsuit alleges

The complaint's first allegation is that A2E lets "predators" "nudify non-consenting Floridians," including children, the Florida Phoenix reported. The state says the platform turns ordinary photos or videos into AI-generated nude and sexualized images, and that it includes tools that can make adults appear to be children, allowing users to produce sexual images that depict minors.

According to the Phoenix, the attorney general argues that A2E's software warns users that applying it to nonconsensual sexual uses is "strictly prohibited," but that the company tries to shift all responsibility for compliance onto its users. Uthmeier wrote in the complaint that if the company's practices do not qualify as deceptive, unfair and unconscionable under the state's consumer protection law, it is hard to imagine what would, and said, "They must be stopped."

The suit points to specific Florida criminal cases. An Uthmeier news release, quoted by Florida Politics, said the complaint cites cases "in which A2E was used to generate child sexual abuse material, including a Tampa case in which a perpetrator created more than 100 sexualized images of his minor stepchildren and a Tallahassee case involving AI-generated depictions of minors." The release said the platform did not flag or report the material in those instances.

What Uthmeier said

At the Orlando news conference, Uthmeier framed the company as the producer of the illegal images rather than a neutral tool. "Just because you create the vehicle, it doesn't give you exemption from liability," he said, according to the Phoenix. He described the software as "the manufacturing hub" for the content and said, "We want to make them pay. We want to shut them down."

Speaking later the same day at the Florida Chamber of Commerce's Future of Florida Forum, Uthmeier told business leaders that a user of the platform "could put in a photo of any of you" and "convert it to pornography," Florida Politics reported. He said his office has created a unit focused on social media, gaming sites and chat rooms, and is using some AI tools to scan apps for phrases and patterns associated with predators. "Technology can be a good thing. We use it for good," he said. "It should help mankind. It should not lead to our demise."

The company's response

A2E did not respond to a request for comment from the Florida Phoenix. No response from Rengstorff Consulting to the complaint had been reported as of Thursday, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

The legal basis

The case rests on the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, the same consumer protection law Uthmeier has used against other technology companies. It lets the attorney general seek court orders and civil penalties against businesses that engage in unfair or deceptive conduct.

Uthmeier also said a 2025 state law is in play. Known as Brooke's Law and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June 2025, it was named for Brooke Curry, the daughter of former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, whose altered image spread online when she was a minor. The law requires online platforms to take down AI-generated or altered sexual depictions of people, made without their consent, within 48 hours of a victim's request.

A separate criminal case announced the same day

At the same news conference, Uthmeier announced that his Office of Statewide Prosecution has charged Jerry Jesus Reyes, 26, of Kissimmee, with 100 felony counts. According to Florida Politics, the case began with a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about activity on Snapchat, and detectives with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit traced the account.

The charges include 86 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child, 13 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual activity with animals and one count of transmitting child pornography by electronic device, the Phoenix reported. The charges are accusations, and Reyes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. That case is not alleged to involve A2E.

Part of a broader push against tech platforms

The A2E suit is the latest in a string of actions Uthmeier has taken against technology companies over child safety. On Oct. 16 he sued the chat app Discord, alleging it exposed children to predators. On Oct. 23 he proposed a Safe Screens Act that would include an overnight shutoff and app store age checks for teens. In June, his office filed what it called the first state lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, over the risks of ChatGPT, also under the state's unfair trade practices law, after opening a criminal investigation into the company in April. He has also targeted the gaming platform Roblox.

Uthmeier told the Chamber audience that law enforcement estimates as many as two in three child exploitation cases in Florida begin online, according to Florida Politics, and urged businesses to report what they see.

The election backdrop

The lawsuit comes days before Uthmeier faces voters for the first time. DeSantis appointed him attorney general in 2025, and he is running Tuesday against Democrat José Javier Rodríguez. The Phoenix counted 26 news conferences Uthmeier has held since his August primary, noting that most of his public appearances in the run-up to the election have been official events.

What's next

Rengstorff Consulting will have to respond to the complaint in Sarasota County circuit court, where a judge will decide whether to grant the state's request for an injunction and penalties. Uthmeier's office has not said when or whether criminal charges could follow from its review of the company. For Florida parents, the case adds A2E to the list of platforms the state is now fighting in court, alongside Discord and OpenAI.