Two Men Federally Charged Over AI Deepfake Porn Under the Take It Down Act - Decrypt
Two men were federally charged under the Take It Down Act for allegedly using AI to generate and distribute sexually explicit images of women without their consent.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- actresses, singers, political figures, and recent high school graduates
In May 2026, Arturo Hernandez and Cornelius Shannon were charged in federal court for allegedly using AI to generate and distribute sexually explicit images of women without their consent. This marks one of the first major enforcement actions under the Take It Down Act.
What happened
Federal prosecutors allege that Shannon and Hernandez posted thousands of AI-generated images and videos depicting real people—including actresses, singers, political figures, and recent high school graduates—engaged in sexual acts. Shannon and Hernandez allegedly uploaded more than 470 albums depicting over 140 women to websites where the AI-generated images and videos received millions of views. Court filings say the images appeared to use real, non-explicit photographs altered with AI software into sexually explicit content. The men face up to two years in prison.