Two Individuals Arrested for Publishing AI Deepfake Pornography In Violation Of TAKE IT DOWN Act

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, two criminal complaints were unsealed charging Cornelius Shannon and Arturo Hernandez with violations of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which was enacted one year ago and prohibits the nonconsensual publication of AI-generated digital forgeries (deepfake) pornography. Shannon and Hernandez allegedly posted thousands of images and videos that appeared to depict real people nude and/or engaging in sexual acts. The victims included actresses, singers and political figures. Hernandez also posted hundreds of depictions of non-public figures appearing to engage in sexual acts. Hernandez was arrested today in Bedias, Texas, and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Shannon was arrested today in New Jersey and will appear this afternoon in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrests.

"As alleged, the defendants used cutting-edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated victims across the United States," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "This case makes clear that posting deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime, and our Office will pursue the criminals who engage in this reprehensible conduct with all the legal resources that the federal government can bring to bear, including new authorities granted by Congress to address these emerging forms of psychological, reputational, and financial abuse."

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the FBI field offices in Houston, Texas, and Newark, New Jersey, for their assistance with the case.

"The individuals arrested today are being charged for their alleged roles in a scheme to create and distribute vile deepfake pornography using artificial intelligence," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. "This predatory conduct represents a disturbing abuse of technology that inflicts emotional harm on victims, violating their privacy, dignity, and security. The use of this emerging technology to victimize individuals is not innovative - it is criminal and will be pursued with the full force of the law."

On April 28, 2025, Congress passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a bill that criminalizes the nonconsensual publication of intimate images, including deepfakes. The TAKE IT DOWN Act is an acronym that stands for "Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act." The TAKE IT DOWN Act was intended to combat so-called revenge porn, or pornography posted of an intimate partner without their consent, and non-consensual deepfake material created to simulate a real person.

United States v. Cornelius Shannon

As detailed in court filings, Shannon has published deepfake pornographic material depicting female victims to an image- and video-sharing internet platform designed for creators to share adult and explicit content. Since May 19, 2025, Shannon has published at least 360 albums containing AI deepfake pornography depicting approximately 90 different female victims. The content published by Shannon has been viewed millions of times.

United States v. Arturo Hernandez

Hernandez is similarly alleged to have published deepfake pornographic material depicting female victims to a website. Since approximately May 19, 2025, Hernandez has published approximately 113 albums on the website which contained deepfake content depicting approximately 50 different identifiable female victims, including individuals who are not public figures. The albums contain non-explicit images of identifiable individuals which morph into deepfake depictions of the individuals in various stages of undress or engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The content published by Hernandez has been viewed nearly a million times.

The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charge, the defendants each face up to two years' imprisonment.

If you are aware of non-consensually published intimate visual depictions posted on the internet, you can advise the authorities through the Internet Crime Complaint Center, https://www.ic3.gov/, or through the FBI tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

As part of its enforcement role, the Federal Trade Commission has launched TakeItDown.ftc.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., a website allowing victims and survivors to submit complaints about platforms that have failed to act on valid requests for the removal of nonconsensual intimate images. The website also accepts complaints about platforms that have failed to create a process for people to request removal of these images.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Moscow and Molly N. Delaney are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Eastern District of New York Investigator Jeffrey Tarkin and Paralegal Specialist Emily Woodruff. Assistant United States Attorney Madeline O'Connor of the Office's Asset Forfeiture Section is handling forfeiture matters.

The Defendants:

CORNELIUS SHANNON
Age: 51
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey

ARTURO HERNANDEZ
Age: 20
Bedias, Texas

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 26-MJ-96 and 26-MJ-97