Two men face federal charges for creating AI-generated porn of celebrities under new deepfakes law

Two men charged with creating AI-generated porn under new law targeting 'deepfakes'

NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal prosecutors have charged two men with using artificial intelligence to create nude videos and photos of female celebrities under a newly enacted law meant to halt the spread of deepfake pornography. Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were both arrested Tuesday for generating sexually explicit AI content that drew millions of views online, according to criminal complaints. The men -- who do not appear to be connected -- are among the earliest defendants to face charges under the Take It Down Act, a law signed last year by President Donald Trump that adds stricter penalties for publishing AI-created deepfakes and "revenge porn." The bill drew bipartisan support, as well as the public backing of first lady Melania Trump. Under the new law, the men now face up to two years in prison. Attorneys for Shannon and Hernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Joseph Nocella, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, said the men had "used cutting-edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated" dozens of women. "This case makes clear that posting deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime," he added. Shannon, a resident of New Jersey, published at least 240 albums of AI-generated pornography featuring female politicians, musicians and singers, according to the complaint. The deepfakes published by Hernandez, of Texas, included both celebrities as well as private women, including recent high school graduates, prosecutors said. The arrests come as increasingly sophisticated generative AI tools have raised alarm about the online spread of sexually explicit fakes, often depicting minors. Last month, an Ohio man became the first person convicted under the Take It Down Act after pleading guilty to using AI to generate child sexual abuse material. In March, two teenage boys received probation for creating explicit AI images of their classmates at an exclusive private school in Pennsylvania. And in a separate case filed earlier this year, three teenagers in Tennessee sued Elon Musk's xAI, claiming the company's Grok tools morphed their real photos into explicitly sexual images. The high school students are seeking class-action status to represent what the lawsuit says are thousands of people who were similarly victimized as minors.

Feds bust 2 alleged creeps for posting 'deepfake' porn of celebs and politicians

Two alleged creeps were busted Wednesday for posting thousands of pornographic AI "deepfake" images and videos of celebrity entertainers and political figures - which have been viewed millions of times. Cornelius Shannon, 51, of New Jersey, and Texas resident Arturo Hernandez, 20, each face up to two years in prison after being charged by Brooklyn federal prosecutors with breaching the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which bars people from publishing AI porn depicting someone without getting their consent. Since May 2025, Shannon has published deepfake porn featuring 90 different female victims - including well-known "political figures" and "entertainment figures" - appearing to engage in sexual acts on a porn website where they have been viewed more than 2.1 million times, court papers allege. Hernandez has posted sick AI-created pornos of 50 different female victims - including prominent politicians, musicians, and actresses - on that website during the same time period, prosecutors say. The Texan also disgustingly posted AI porn of his female classmates, purported friends, and a "religious mother and daughter," court papers allege. He also created and posted a photo album featuring "yearbook-style" portraits of girls in his high school graduation class wearing their graduation cap and gowns, "which morph into videos depicting the likenesses of the same girls engaging in sexually explicit conduct," a criminal complaint says. Together, Hernandez's AI deepfake videos and images have been viewed more than 940,000 times, court papers say. The New Jerseyan Shannon - whose profile picture on the unidentified porn site features him wearing a New York Mets t-shirt and having a snack - was arrested Wednesday morning in the Garden State by FBI agents in the Newark field office. He was expected to be released after making his first appearance in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday afternoon. Hernandez was arrested in Bedias, Texas by FBI agents in the Houston field office, and is due to face a Brooklyn judge at a later date. Prosecutors kept the names of the celebrities depicted in the porn under wraps Wednesday. "This case makes clear that posting deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime, and our Office will pursue the criminals who engage in this reprehensible conduct with all the legal resources that the federal government can bring to bear, including new authorities granted by Congress to address these emerging forms of psychological, reputational, and financial abuse," Joseph Nocella, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.