Arturo Hernandez and Cornelius Shannon face federal charges for allegedly using AI to create non-consensual deepfake pornography, violating the Take It Down Act.
Federal Charges Filed Under New Legislation
Arturo Hernandez from Texas and Cornelius Shannon from New Jersey have been charged federally for allegedly producing and distributing AI-generated pornographic content without consent, marking a key enforcement action under the Take It Down Act.
This law, enacted in May 2025, targets the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including those created through artificial intelligence. It mandates that platforms must remove flagged content within 48 hours.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella commented on the defendants' actions, emphasizing the serious implications of using technology to create harmful deepfake pornography. "This case underscores that the act of sharing deepfake pornography is far from a victimless crime," Nocella stated.
Prosecutors allege that Hernandez and Shannon shared thousands of manipulated images, which transformed non-sexual photographs of real individuals—ranging from entertainers to recent graduates—into explicit material. The charges detail that over 470 albums featuring more than 140 women were uploaded, drawing millions of views on various platforms.
Both men face a potential two-year prison sentence as a result of these charges. The Take It Down Act, which enjoys broad bipartisan support, aims to combat the rise of non-consensual intimate imagery facilitated by advancements in technology.
Earlier this year, James Strahler from Ohio was notably the first to be convicted under this law for creating more than 700 AI-generated explicit images involving both minors and adults, signaling a growing crackdown on such offenses. FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle Jr. remarked on the broader implications of this technology, labeling the misuse of AI for exploitation as a serious criminal issue that law enforcement will rigorously address.
