Former Baltimore County A.D. in AI deepfake scandal…

Former Pikesville High School athletic director Dazhon Darien has pleaded guilty to federal child sexual exploitation charges. This plea follows a previous conviction related to the use of artificial intelligence to impersonate a school administrator.

What happened

In 2025, Darien was sentenced to four months in jail for disturbing school operations by using AI to create a racist and antisemitic recording that mimicked the voice of his former principal, Eric Eiswert. Prosecutors stated this action was an attempt to destroy Eiswert's reputation. While investigating this deepfake incident, law enforcement seized Darien's phones and uncovered evidence of inappropriate communications and sexually explicit videos involving at least five boys between the ages of 14 and 17.

Court documents revealed that Darien exploited minors while serving as an administrator and coach, maintaining these activities even after the initial March 2024 police search of his residence and subsequent state-level criminal charges. In one instance, he impersonated a school principal to interact with a freshman victim. Darien admitted to paying one victim $224 to produce nine explicit videos stored on his device. The victims, who were not students at his school, resided in various locations including Baltimore City, Brandywine, Houston, and Las Vegas. Under the current plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of no more than 21 years, though the judge retains the discretion to impose a sentence between 15 and 30 years.