Federal prosecutors have charged two men under a new federal law aimed at halting the spread of nonconsensual deepfake pornography. Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were both arrested Tuesday after federal criminal complaints accused them of using artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit images and videos of female celebrities.
The two defendants do not appear to be connected to one another, the complaints state. Their online content collectively drew millions of views, according to the charges. Under the Take It Down Act, the men now face up to two years in prison if convicted.
It is unclear which jurisdiction brought the charges initially; the Associated Press datelined the report from New York. Attorneys for Shannon and Hernandez did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
The Take It Down Act was signed into law last year by President Donald Trump. The first lady, Melania Trump, publicly backed the legislation, which drew bipartisan support in Congress. The law establishes stricter penalties for publishing AI-created deepfakes and nonconsensual sexually explicit material, commonly referred to as revenge porn.
The statute marks a significant expansion of federal law regarding digital sexual privacy, targeting the rapidly growing market for AI-generated explicit imagery. Lawmakers and digital rights advocates have warned that synthetic media poses new threats to personal reputation and consent, particularly when high-profile figures are targeted for mass online distribution.
Federal authorities have moved quickly to apply the new law to defendants whose content reached large audiences, signaling an intent to establish legal precedent early in the statute’s enforcement. The charges represent the first public invocation of the Take It Down Act’s specific criminal penalties.