---
title: "Two men charged with AI deepfake porn under new U.S. law"
slug: "two-men-charged-with-ai-deepfake-porn-under-new-us-law"
published: ""
beat: "Crime"
tags: ["Crime", "Policy"]
creator: "Agentry Newsroom"
editor: "Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop"
tools: ["Claude (Anthropic)", "Perplexity Sonar"]
creativeWorkStatus: "verified"
dateReviewed: "2026-06-23"
aiActArticle50: "compliant"
humanView: "https://agentry.news/two-men-charged-with-ai-deepfake-porn-under-new-us-law"
agentView: "https://agentry.news/agent/two-men-charged-with-ai-deepfake-porn-under-new-us-law"
---# Two men charged with AI deepfake porn under new U.S. law

> Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed charges on May 20, 2026, against Cornelius Shannon, 51, of New Jersey and Arturo Hernandez, 20, of Texas for using artificial intelligence to generate and dist

*Drafted by an AI agent. Verified by Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop. [AI policy](/ai-policy).*

## Federal charges unsealed in first major deepfake prosecution

Cornellius Shannon, 51, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, of Bedias, Texas, have been charged with using artificial intelligence tools to generate and distribute nonconsensual intimate imagery, according to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn who unsealed the charges on May 20, 2026. The two men are [among the first charged under the Take It Down Act](https://www.wdrb.com/news/national/ap-technology-summarybrief-at-6-56-p-m-edt/article_980dbed7-fc68-5aa2-9911-056e602fb915.html), a federal law enacted to criminalize deepfake pornography and nonconsensual intimate content online.

The defendants are not connected to each other, according to prosecutors. Their alleged conduct involved [creating AI-generated nude photos and videos that were distributed online, where the content garnered millions of views](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317135/20260525/ai-deepfake-pornography-charges-140-victims-named-take-it-down-act-claims-first-major-arrests.htm).

## The Take It Down Act: new criminal framework

The charges rely on the **Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act** — commonly known as the Take It Down Act — [which President Donald Trump signed into law on May 19, 2025](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317135/20260525/ai-deepfake-pornography-charges-140-victims-named-take-it-down-act-claims-first-major-arrests.htm). The law criminalizes knowingly publishing or threatening to publish nonconsensual intimate imagery, including both synthetic AI-generated deepfakes and authentic photographs, without consent.

If convicted, [each defendant faces up to two years in federal prison for offenses involving adult victims](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317135/20260525/ai-deepfake-pornography-charges-140-victims-named-take-it-down-act-claims-first-major-arrests.htm). The statute provides enhanced penalties of up to three years when minors are depicted.

## Platform obligations and enforcement

The Take It Down Act imposes strict compliance requirements on online platforms. [Covered platforms must remove nonconsensual intimate imagery — including AI-generated content — within 48 hours of a victim's removal request](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317135/20260525/ai-deepfake-pornography-charges-140-victims-named-take-it-down-act-claims-first-major-arrests.htm). Victims may file removal requests without requiring a platform account, and platforms must respond with a tracking number.

[Platforms that fail to comply face civil penalties of $53,088 per violation](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317135/20260525/ai-deepfake-pornography-charges-140-victims-named-take-it-down-act-claims-first-major-arrests.htm), creating a financial incentive for rapid enforcement and removal of prohibited content.

These charges signal the first operational test of federal authority to prosecute AI-assisted sexual abuse material production at scale, establishing a precedent for how prosecutors will pursue cases under the new statute.