Ex-School Athletic Director Gets 4 Months in Jail for Racist Deepfake Recording
A former athletic director at a Baltimore area high school who was accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic audio clip impersonating the school's principal was sentenced on Monday to four months in jail as part of a plea deal, according to prosecutors.
The former director, Dazhon Darien, 32, pleaded guilty to disturbing school operations, a misdemeanor charge, according to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office. Mr. Darien had previously faced additional charges, including theft, stalking and retaliating against a witness.
According to The Associated Press, Mr. Darien entered an Alford plea to the disturbing school operations charge, which allows defendants to maintain their innocence while pleading guilty.
Mr. Darien, the former athletic director of Pikesville High School, fabricated an audio clip that included a rant about 'ungrateful Black kids who can't test their way out of a paper bag' and disparaging comments about Jewish students, according to a statement of facts in the case used to support the guilty plea. According to police records, the audio was an attempt to smear the school's principal, Eric Eiswert, according to police records.
According to the statement of facts, Mr. Eiswert said that there had been 'conversations' with Mr. Darien about his contract not being renewed because of 'his poor performance at the school, his inability to follow clearly laid out procedures and his unwillingness to follow the chain of command.' Problems with Mr. Darien began in late 2023, leading up to the audio's release, according to the statement.
A lawyer listed for Mr. Darien did not respond to calls and messages on Tuesday. The Baltimore County Public Schools district declined to comment on the case. Efforts to reach Mr. Eiswert on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
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