ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida woman says she was arrested and jailed based on what investigators later determined may have been fabricated evidence created using artificial intelligence, raising new concerns about how emerging technology could impact the criminal justice system.
Melissa Sims spent 24 hours in jail and faced the possibility of up to a year behind bars for a crime she insists she did not commit.
“This is son that is very scary,” Sims said.
Sims told Channel 9 she had recently ended a relationship and returned to her Collier County home to find it damaged. She called 911. According to a report from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, her ex-boyfriend told deputies she punched, scratched and kicked him. Sims was arrested on a charge of domestic battery and ordered to have no contact with him.
Weeks later, while appearing in court for a hearing related to the case, Sims was arrested again — this time for allegedly violating that no-contact order.
Authorities cited text messages that appeared to show Sims contacting her ex-boyfriend. But Sims said those messages were not real, and records from the phone company later proved it.
She alleges her ex-boyfriend used artificial intelligence to create fake text messages that appeared to come from her phone. The messages included disparaging comments and were presented as evidence of a violation.
Cybersecurity expert Roy Richardson said the situation reflects a growing threat.
“It used to be that you needed specialized people running specialized programs to do that type of thing,” Richardson said. “Now, it’s much easier.”
Richardson, chief security officer for Aurora Info Tech, said advances in artificial intelligence are making it increasingly simple to create convincing fake digital evidence, including text messages, images and even videos.
He said the technology is evolving faster than the systems meant to regulate it.
“Even judges are saying, ‘maybe pump the brakes,’ because we don’t yet have the skill sets in law enforcement and the courts to fully evaluate AI-generated evidence,” Richardson said.
Sims’ case took eight months to resolve. She said a judge ultimately questioned the authenticity of the messages, noting it would be unlikely for someone to knowingly send a message that could lead to their own arrest.
“Why would someone knowingly send a text from their phone that could get them arrested?” Sims said. “People are not really that stupid.”
The charges related to the alleged violation were not pursued, and Sims avoided further jail time. Sims says prosecutors initially offered her a plea deal for the original domestic violence case, but she refused and was later found not guilty by a jury.
Now, she is speaking out, calling for stronger state and federal regulations on artificial intelligence, particularly safeguards to prevent fabricated digital evidence from being used in criminal cases.
Experts warn that as AI tools become more accessible, cases like Sims’ could become more common — potentially putting more people at risk of wrongful arrest.
“This is just the beginning,” Richardson said.
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