Two Men Charged Under New Trump Law Targeting AI ‘Deepfakes’

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York said the defendants “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,” Nocella said in a statement.

Shannon is accused of publishing at least 240 albums of AI-generated pornography that featured prominent female politicians, musicians, singers, and other public figures. Hernandez allegedly created deepfakes of both celebrities and private individuals, including recent high school graduates. Both face up to two years in federal prison if convicted.

The charges come as authorities grapple with the rapid proliferation of sophisticated AI tools capable of producing realistic fake intimate imagery. The Take It Down Act, enacted in 2025, strengthens penalties for sharing non-consensual intimate images—commonly known as “revenge porn”—and specifically targets AI-generated deepfakes created without consent. The law also requires social media platforms to swiftly remove such content upon verified victim requests.

President Donald Trump signed the legislation last year with broad bipartisan backing. It was co-sponsored by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. First Lady Melania Trump publicly endorsed the measure, helping build momentum for its passage.

“This is also a landmark move towards establishing common-sense rules of the road around social media and AI,” Klobuchar said in a statement following the bill’s signing. “We must provide victims of online abuse with the legal protections they need when intimate images are shared without their consent, especially now that deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse.”