Federal Reserve (FED) · New York · Decrypt
Two Men Federally Charged Over AI Deepfake Porn Under the Take It Down Act
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Federal prosecutors charged two men this week with using AI to generate and distribute sexually explicit images of women without their consent, marking one of the first major enforcement actions under the new Take It Down Act.
Key facts
- President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law in May 2025
- In April, James Strahler, of Columbus, Ohio, became the first person convicted under the law after pleading guilty to federal charges involving over 700 AI-generated sexually explicit images
- On Thursday, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York charged Arturo Hernandez of Texas and Cornelius Shannon of New Jersey in separate cases involving alleged AI-generated deepfake
- The defendants used cutting-edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated victims across the United States,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella
Summary
Arturo Hernandez and Cornelius Shannon were charged in federal court in Brooklyn under the Take It Down Act. The 2025 law makes it a federal crime to publish non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes, and requires platforms to remove flagged content within 48 hours. Last month, James Strahler II of Ohio became the first person convicted under the law after pleading guilty to creating and distributing AI-generated pornographic images, including those of minors. On Thursday, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York charged Arturo Hernandez of Texas and Cornelius Shannon of New Jersey in separate cases involving alleged AI-generated deepfake pornography.