Latest news with #DazhonDarien
29-04-2025
Former school athletic director gets 4 months in jail in racist AI deepfake case
BALTIMORE -- A former high school athletics director accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic deepfake of a Maryland principal has been sentenced to four months in jail as part of a plea deal for disrupting school operations. Dazhon Darien, 32, accepted the deal Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, records show. He entered an Alford plea to the single misdemeanor charge, which means he acknowledged the evidence against him without directly admitting guilt. His original charges included theft, stalking and retaliating against a witness. According to police and prosecutors, Darien used AI software to generate a fake recording of former Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert's voice expressing frustration with Black students and their test-taking abilities. The recording, which was disseminated throughout the school community and shared widely on social media last January, also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish people, authorities said. Not long before the recording surfaced, Eiswert had informed Darien that his contract wouldn't be renewed the following semester because of concerns over poor job performance, according to court documents. The concerns included allegations that Darien paid his roommate $1,900 in school funds under the pretense of coaching the girls' soccer team, police said. Experts who analyzed the recording concluded it was AI-generated. Despite receiving a relatively short sentence, Darien could remain incarcerated longer as he faces a separate federal case in which he's accused of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material. Authorities said they discovered evidence of those crimes while searching Darien's phone and other devices. While fake recordings of political figures and celebrities have surfaced in recent years as the technology becomes more widespread, officials have said the case is among the first examples of AI being used to embarrass someone for personal gain. The subset of artificial intelligence known as generative AI can create hyperrealistic images, videos and audio clips. As it becomes cheaper and easier to use, anyone with an internet connection can access its capabilities. Even a short recording of someone's voice allows users to generate cloned speech from a script. Other examples of AI-generated audio include robocalls impersonating former President Joe Biden that tried to dissuade Democrats from voting in last year's New Hampshire primary election. People have also cloned the voices of purportedly kidnapped children over the phone to get ransom money from parents, experts say. In response, many states have enacted laws in recent years targeting the use of AI, especially targeting media intended to influence election results and digitally created or altered child sexual abuse imagery. During this year's legislative session, Maryland lawmakers considered a bill that would have prohibited the use of AI to falsely impersonate people. Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger advocated in favor of the law change, but it ultimately didn't pass. Darien's bogus audio sent shockwaves through the suburban Pikesville community as angry phone calls inundated the school and hate-filled messages accumulated on social media. Authorities said police were sent to patrol Eiswert's home in response to threats. Eiswert, who is now principal of another Baltimore County school, said from the beginning that he believed the recording was fake. He has since filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging Darien never should have been hired in the first place. Darien joined the district in spring 2023, when he started teaching social studies at a different high school, according to the lawsuit. He was later promoted to Pikesville athletic director. Eiswert's complaint cites reporting from The Baltimore Banner that revealed a host of false claims on Darien's job application, including multiple degrees he hadn't obtained. Florida education officials also denied Darien a teaching certificate in 2016 based on 'test of document fraud' and flagged his name in a national database, the Banner found. Eiswert argues Baltimore County school officials failed to properly vet his application materials and investigate his background.
Winnipeg Free Press
29-04-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former school athletic director gets 4 months in jail in racist AI deepfake case
BALTIMORE (AP) — A former high school athletics director accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic deepfake of a Maryland principal has been sentenced to four months in jail as part of a plea deal for disrupting school operations. Dazhon Darien, 32, accepted the deal Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, records show. He entered an Alford plea to the single misdemeanor charge, which means he acknowledged the evidence against him without directly admitting guilt. His original charges included theft, stalking and retaliating against a witness. According to police and prosecutors, Darien used AI software to generate a fake recording of former Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert's voice expressing frustration with Black students and their test-taking abilities. The recording, which was disseminated throughout the school community and shared widely on social media last January, also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish people, authorities said. Not long before the recording surfaced, Eiswert had informed Darien that his contract wouldn't be renewed the following semester because of concerns over poor job performance, according to court documents. The concerns included allegations that Darien paid his roommate $1,900 in school funds under the pretense of coaching the girls' soccer team, police said. Experts who analyzed the recording concluded it was AI-generated. Despite receiving a relatively short sentence, Darien could remain incarcerated longer as he faces a separate federal case in which he's accused of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material. Authorities said they discovered evidence of those crimes while searching Darien's phone and other devices. While fake recordings of political figures and celebrities have surfaced in recent years as the technology becomes more widespread, officials have said the case is among the first examples of AI being used to embarrass someone for personal gain. The subset of artificial intelligence known as generative AI can create hyperrealistic images, videos and audio clips. As it becomes cheaper and easier to use, anyone with an internet connection can access its capabilities. Even a short recording of someone's voice allows users to generate cloned speech from a script. Other examples of AI-generated audio include robocalls impersonating former President Joe Biden that tried to dissuade Democrats from voting in last year's New Hampshire primary election. People have also cloned the voices of purportedly kidnapped children over the phone to get ransom money from parents, experts say. In response, many states have enacted laws in recent years targeting the use of AI, especially targeting media intended to influence election results and digitally created or altered child sexual abuse imagery. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. During this year's legislative session, Maryland lawmakers considered a bill that would have prohibited the use of AI to falsely impersonate people. Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger advocated in favor of the law change, but it ultimately didn't pass. Darien's bogus audio sent shockwaves through the suburban Pikesville community as angry phone calls inundated the school and hate-filled messages accumulated on social media. Authorities said police were sent to patrol Eiswert's home in response to threats. Eiswert, who is now principal of another Baltimore County school, said from the beginning that he believed the recording was fake. He has since filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging Darien never should have been hired in the first place. Darien joined the district in spring 2023, when he started teaching social studies at a different high school, according to the lawsuit. He was later promoted to Pikesville athletic director. Eiswert's complaint cites reporting from The Baltimore Banner that revealed a host of false claims on Darien's job application, including multiple degrees he hadn't obtained. Florida education officials also denied Darien a teaching certificate in 2016 based on 'test of document fraud' and flagged his name in a national database, the Banner found. Eiswert argues Baltimore County school officials failed to properly vet his application materials and investigate his background.
The Independent
29-04-2025
- The Independent
Former school athletic director gets 4 months in jail in racist AI deepfake case
A former high school athletics director accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic deepfake of a Maryland principal has been sentenced to four months in jail as part of a plea deal for disrupting school operations. Dazhon Darien, 32, accepted the deal Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, records show. He entered an Alford plea to the single misdemeanor charge, which means he acknowledged the evidence against him without directly admitting guilt. His original charges included theft, stalking and retaliating against a witness. According to police and prosecutors, Darien used AI software to generate a fake recording of former Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert's voice expressing frustration with Black students and their test-taking abilities. The recording, which was disseminated throughout the school community and shared widely on social media last January, also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish people, authorities said. Not long before the recording surfaced, Eiswert had informed Darien that his contract wouldn't be renewed the following semester because of concerns over poor job performance, according to court documents. The concerns included allegations that Darien paid his roommate $1,900 in school funds under the pretense of coaching the girls' soccer team, police said. Experts who analyzed the recording concluded it was AI-generated. Despite receiving a relatively short sentence, Darien could remain incarcerated longer as he faces a separate federal case in which he's accused of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material. Authorities said they discovered evidence of those crimes while searching Darien's phone and other devices. While fake recordings of political figures and celebrities have surfaced in recent years as the technology becomes more widespread, officials have said the case is among the first examples of AI being used to embarrass someone for personal gain. The subset of artificial intelligence known as generative AI can create hyperrealistic images, videos and audio clips. As it becomes cheaper and easier to use, anyone with an internet connection can access its capabilities. Even a short recording of someone's voice allows users to generate cloned speech from a script. Other examples of AI-generated audio include robocalls impersonating former President Joe Biden that tried to dissuade Democrats from voting in last year's New Hampshire primary election. People have also cloned the voices of purportedly kidnapped children over the phone to get ransom money from parents, experts say. In response, many states have enacted laws in recent years targeting the use of AI, especially targeting media intended to influence election results and digitally created or altered child sexual abuse imagery. During this year's legislative session, Maryland lawmakers considered a bill that would have prohibited the use of AI to falsely impersonate people. Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger advocated in favor of the law change, but it ultimately didn't pass. Darien's bogus audio sent shockwaves through the suburban Pikesville community as angry phone calls inundated the school and hate-filled messages accumulated on social media. Authorities said police were sent to patrol Eiswert's home in response to threats. Eiswert, who is now principal of another Baltimore County school, said from the beginning that he believed the recording was fake. He has since filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging Darien never should have been hired in the first place. Darien joined the district in spring 2023, when he started teaching social studies at a different high school, according to the lawsuit. He was later promoted to Pikesville athletic director. Eiswert's complaint cites reporting from The Baltimore Banner that revealed a host of false claims on Darien's job application, including multiple degrees he hadn't obtained. Florida education officials also denied Darien a teaching certificate in 2016 based on 'test of document fraud' and flagged his name in a national database, the Banner found. Eiswert argues Baltimore County school officials failed to properly vet his application materials and investigate his background.
Associated Press
29-04-2025
- Associated Press
Former school athletic director gets 4 months in jail in racist AI deepfake case
BALTIMORE (AP) — A former high school athletics director accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic deepfake of a Maryland principal has been sentenced to four months in jail as part of a plea deal for disrupting school operations. Dazhon Darien, 32, accepted the deal Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, records show. He entered an Alford plea to the single misdemeanor charge, which means he acknowledged the evidence against him without directly admitting guilt. His original charges included theft, stalking and retaliating against a witness. According to police and prosecutors, Darien used AI software to generate a fake recording of former Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert's voice expressing frustration with Black students and their test-taking abilities. The recording, which was disseminated throughout the school community and shared widely on social media last January, also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish people, authorities said. Not long before the recording surfaced, Eiswert had informed Darien that his contract wouldn't be renewed the following semester because of concerns over poor job performance, according to court documents. The concerns included allegations that Darien paid his roommate $1,900 in school funds under the pretense of coaching the girls' soccer team, police said. Experts who analyzed the recording concluded it was AI-generated. Despite receiving a relatively short sentence, Darien could remain incarcerated longer as he faces a separate federal case in which he's accused of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material. Authorities said they discovered evidence of those crimes while searching Darien's phone and other devices. While fake recordings of political figures and celebrities have surfaced in recent years as the technology becomes more widespread, officials have said the case is among the first examples of AI being used to embarrass someone for personal gain. The subset of artificial intelligence known as generative AI can create hyperrealistic images, videos and audio clips. As it becomes cheaper and easier to use, anyone with an internet connection can access its capabilities. Even a short recording of someone's voice allows users to generate cloned speech from a script. Other examples of AI-generated audio include robocalls impersonating former President Joe Biden that tried to dissuade Democrats from voting in last year's New Hampshire primary election. People have also cloned the voices of purportedly kidnapped children over the phone to get ransom money from parents, experts say. In response, many states have enacted laws in recent years targeting the use of AI, especially targeting media intended to influence election results and digitally created or altered child sexual abuse imagery. During this year's legislative session, Maryland lawmakers considered a bill that would have prohibited the use of AI to falsely impersonate people. Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger advocated in favor of the law change, but it ultimately didn't pass. Darien's bogus audio sent shockwaves through the suburban Pikesville community as angry phone calls inundated the school and hate-filled messages accumulated on social media. Authorities said police were sent to patrol Eiswert's home in response to threats. Eiswert, who is now principal of another Baltimore County school, said from the beginning that he believed the recording was fake. He has since filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging Darien never should have been hired in the first place. Darien joined the district in spring 2023, when he started teaching social studies at a different high school, according to the lawsuit. He was later promoted to Pikesville athletic director. Eiswert's complaint cites reporting from The Baltimore Banner that revealed a host of false claims on Darien's job application, including multiple degrees he hadn't obtained. Florida education officials also denied Darien a teaching certificate in 2016 based on 'test of document fraud' and flagged his name in a national database, the Banner found. Eiswert argues Baltimore County school officials failed to properly vet his application materials and investigate his background.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Accused creator of racist AI recording of Baltimore's Pikesville principal indicted on sex exploitation charges
BALTIMORE — The man accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist recording to defame a Baltimore County high school principal was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly sexually exploiting boys, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland announced Thursday. Dazhon Darien, 32, the former athletic director at Pikesville High School, is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of coercion and enticement of a child, one count of receipt of child sexual abuse material, and four counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, prosecutors said. Between July 2023 and July 2024, Darien 'persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor male to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing and transmitting child sexual abuse material,' according to the indictment. In addition, prosecutors allege Darien enticed two male minors to engage in prohibited sexual conduct, and he possessed child sexual abuse material in internet-based accounts and on one digital device. An attorney for Darien could not immediately be reached for comment. If convicted, Darien, of Houston, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for each of the two counts of coercion and enticement of a child. In addition, Darien could see a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the single count of receipt of child sexual abuse material, and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of the four counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. Federal agents originally arrested Darien on Jan. 27, when he was scheduled to appear in Baltimore County Circuit Court for a hearing in his state case. Darien is accused of using AI technology to develop a fake recording of then-Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert making derogatory and racist comments toward Black students, Jewish people and teachers. Eiswert filed a suit in Baltimore County Circuit Court on Jan. 7, alleging former athletic director Darien and other school officials disseminated the fake audio clip to students and others 'causing it to spread rapidly' on social media and receive 'millions of views,' according to court documents. In state court, Darien is charged with theft of $1,500 up to $25,000, disturbing school operations, retaliating against a witness, stalking and influencing or intimidating a juror. He was scheduled for a bench trial in early January, but a judge postponed the case because of his federal charges. In the federal case, prosecutors allege Darien paid boys for images on several occasions and met with one for a sexual encounter at least once. 'While working for the Baltimore County Public School System, first as a teacher, then as an athletic director, Darien sought out teenaged boys for his sexual gratification,' prosecutors wrote. 'Darien used the Snapchat application to communicate with the victims and then caused them to create sexually explicit images and videos and send those to Darien. Darien saved the images and videos on his phone and iCloud account.' Baltimore County Deputy State's Attorney John Cox said authorities had been attempting to unlock Darien's iPhone since confiscating it with a search warrant in March. But a machine could not unlock the passcode-protected phone until December. Federal prosecutors said in their detention memorandum last month that investigators gained access on Nov. 27, finding 20 videos of child pornography. --------
