Authorities said the suspect published multiple albums on the website, containing deepfake images depicting about 50 women, including individuals who are not public figures and some of whom he allegedly knew.
Thursday, May 21, 2026 3:13PMA Texas man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he created and distributed AI-generated pornographic images depicting women - including celebrities, public figures, and people he personally knew.
Federal investigators accuse Arturo Hernandez of Bedias, Texas, of publishing more than 100 online albums containing explicit AI-generated content over more than a year. According to court records, the images allegedly portrayed victims performing sexual acts without their consent. Authorities say the case falls under the federal Take It Down Act, which prohibits the sharing of intimate imagery without permission.
Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in New York allege some images depicted politicians, actresses, and musicians in sexually explicit scenarios. Investigators also say Hernandez allegedly created explicit images involving people from his personal life. Court filings describe content depicting a friend alongside relatives and acquaintances, as well as altered images involving classmates and other women known to him.
Prosecutors say at least 50 identifiable female victims appeared across 113 albums Hernandez allegedly posted to an online pornography community. Investigators estimate that the content received more than one million views. According to court documents, Hernandez allegedly wrote on his account, "All fakes are mine. I'm adding on to them every 3-4 days.
No free requests.
" Digital forensics expert Cody Breunig with Black Dog Forensics says the rapid improvements with artificial intelligence have made creating manipulated content significantly easier. "AI has absolutely changed every aspect of technology, and I shudder to think what the next two years are going to bring," Breunig said. Breunig said AI-related investigations increasingly involve more than altered photos or videos. In one case, he said investigators examined fabricated audio portraying someone being sexually assaulted.
"When we looked under the hood, we found none of that was true," Breunig said. "It was a lot of different audio spliced together. " Experts say metadata, coding information, and IP addresses can help determine whether content has been manipulated and may assist investigators in identifying suspects. Breunig said victims often face challenges in getting harmful AI-generated content removed online, especially when it falls outside existing moderation systems.
"If it's sexually based material, it's often removed right away," he said. "But there are images just as harmful to an individual because it is fraudulent, and it's more of an uphill battle to get that removed. " Advocates say victims can seek help through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Take It Down program, which helps remove intimate images shared without consent.
The FBI encourages anyone aware of similar imagery or possible victims to submit information through its Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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