Trending Now - Men Face Charges for Producing Ai-generated Deepfake Porn

WHO:

AP News - Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were charged.

AP News - Joseph Nocella is the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn.

AP News - The law was signed by President Donald Trump and received public backing from first lady Melania Trump.

WHAT:

ABC News - Federal prosecutors charged two men with creating AI-generated nude videos and photos.

AP News - The men face up to two years in prison under the Take It Down Act.

AP News - Shannon published at least 240 albums of AI-generated pornography featuring female politicians, musicians, and singers.

AP News - Hernandez's deepfakes included both celebrities and private women, including recent high school graduates.

WHERE:

AP News - Shannon is a resident of New Jersey.

AP News - Hernandez is from Texas.

WHEN:

AP News - The men were arrested on a Tuesday.

AP News - The Take It Down Act was signed into law last year.

WHY:

AP News - The law aims to halt the spread of deepfake pornography and adds stricter penalties for publishing AI-created deepfakes and “revenge porn.”

AP News - Joseph Nocella stated that the case demonstrates that posting deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime.

HOW:

AP News - The men used artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit content that drew millions of views online.

(UPDATED May 22, 2026 06:23 UTC)

Federal prosecutors have charged Cornelius Shannon, 51, from New Jersey, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, from Texas, for creating AI-generated nude videos and photos, which could land them up to two years in prison under the Take It Down Act. Shannon published at least 240 albums of AI-generated pornography featuring female politicians and musicians, while Hernandez's deepfakes included both celebrities and private women, including recent high school graduates. The Take It Down Act, signed into law last year with public backing from Trump and first lady Melania Trump, aims to combat the spread of deepfake pornography and impose stricter penalties for such offenses, highlighting that posting deepfake content is not a victimless crime.