Two Men Charged Under New Trump Law Targeting AI ‘Deepfakes’
Two Men Charged Under New Trump Law Targeting AI ‘Deepfakes’
Posted July 15, 2026
BROOKLYN, N.Y.
— Federal prosecutors have formally indicted two individuals who allegedly used artificial intelligence to generate and distribute sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of female celebrities, politicians, and private citizens. The sweeping federal charges mark a significant enforcement action under new legislation that seeks to curb the rapid spread of deepfake pornography and online digital abuse.
Cornelius Shannon, 51, of New Jersey, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, of Texas, were identified in criminal papers and arrested on Tuesday for creating sexually obscene AI content that garnered millions of views online.
The two men—who do not appear to be affiliated with each other—are among the first defendants to face federal charges under the "Take It Down Act." The landmark bill, enacted last year by President Donald Trump with the backing of First Lady Melania Trump, imposes significantly tougher penalties for publishing AI-generated deepfakes and non-consensual “revenge porn.” Under the new law, both men face up to two years in federal prison if convicted.
### I. The Federal Allegations
In a statement detailing the arrests, Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, emphasized the severity of the digital abuse. He noted that the men “used cutting-edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated” dozens of women.
“This case makes clear that posting deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime,” Nocella added.
According to the criminal complaint:
* **Cornelius Shannon:** Published at least 240 albums consisting of AI-generated pornography that featured female politicians, musicians, and singers.
* **Arturo Hernandez:** Posted deepfakes depicting both high-profile celebrities and private ladies, including recent high school graduates.
### II. A Growing Wave of AI-Related Legal Action
The high-profile charges arrive amid escalating national concern regarding the proliferation of sexualized fakes—sometimes involving minors—created by increasingly advanced and accessible AI algorithms. The federal crackdown aligns with a broader push for accountability across multiple states:
* **Ohio:** Last month, a man became the very first person convicted under the Take It Down Act when he pleaded guilty to utilizing AI to manufacture child sexual assault material.
* **Pennsylvania:** In March, two adolescent lads were placed on probation for creating explicit AI photos of their peers at an exclusive private school.
* **Tennessee:** In a separate civil lawsuit filed earlier this year, three teenagers sued Elon Musk’s xAI, alleging that the company’s Grok AI tools were used to turn their genuine photos into sexually explicit images. The high school students are currently seeking class-action status to represent thousands of other affected minors.
### III. Bipartisan Support and Tech Industry Backing
Last year, President Trump signed the bipartisan Take It Down Act to establish immediate legal consequences for predators weaponizing new technology. The legislation, co-sponsored by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, also garnered critical support from major industry players like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a prominent tech industry-supported think tank, praised the bill’s passage last month, stating it “is an important step forward that will help people pursue justice when they are victims of non-consensual intimate imagery, including deepfake images generated using AI.”
Sen. Klobuchar hailed the law as a "major victory for victims of online abuse," providing them with explicit legal protections and the tools necessary to have explicit material scrubbed from social media platforms.
“These images can ruin lives and reputations, but now that our bipartisan legislation is becoming law, victims will be able to have this material removed... and law enforcement can hold perpetrators accountable,” Klobuchar stated, calling it a landmark move toward establishing common-sense rules of the road for social media and AI.
Sen. Cruz echoed the sentiment, issuing a stern warning to tech platforms and bad actors alike: “Predators who weaponize new technology to post this exploitative filth will now rightfully face criminal consequences, and Big Tech will no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to the spread of this vile material.”
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Posting as GuestTrump didn't just win Arizona—he just locked down the most brutal battleground in the country.
President Donald Trump’s endorsed slate powered through Arizona’s Republican primaries Tuesday, delivering decisive wins that underscored the president’s enduring grip on the GOP.
The primary wins also position conservatives for a strong push to reclaim the governor’s mansion and hold key congressional seats in the November midterms.
Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs cruised to the Republican nomination for governor, defeating fellow Rep. David Schweikert and other challengers by a wide margin.
The victory sets up a high-stakes rematch against Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who won her party’s nomination unopposed and narrowly defeated former Trump-backed candidate Kari Lake in 2022.
“Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH,” Trump said earlier when backing both Biggs and another contender before Biggs entered the race.
At a Phoenix rally, Trump added, “I hate to lose him from Congress… but he’ll be a great governor.”
Biggs, a longtime America First conservative and former Freedom Caucus chairman, ran on cutting taxes, securing the border, and restoring law and order.
His decisive primary triumph reinforces Trump’s perfect record backing statewide Republican primary winners in Arizona.
In the open 1st Congressional District race vacated by Schweikert, former Arizona Cardinals kicker and sports analyst Jay Feely captured the GOP nomination with Trump’s support.
Feely, positioned as a true America First conservative, will face Democrat Amish Shah in the general election in the competitive suburban district that includes parts of Scottsdale and northeastern Maricopa County.
Trump praised Feely and another candidate in a Truth Social post as “Two Highly Respected America First Patriots” and gave both his “Complete and Total Endorsement,” stating “JAY OR GINA WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Feely has emphasized fighting for border security, economic growth, and putting Arizona families first.
Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, another Trump favorite, won the Republican primary in the 5th Congressional District, the deep-red seat Biggs is leaving.
Trump called Lamb a “MAGA Warrior” and declared, “It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior Mark Lamb… Mark Lamb has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Congressman from Arizona’s 5th Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Lamb, known for his tough-on-crime stance and support for law enforcement, military, and veterans, ran on keeping the border secure, cutting taxes and regulations, and championing American energy dominance.
In Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, Trump-endorsed incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani advanced unopposed, locking in a strong conservative voice for the competitive seat.
Trump also backed other Arizona Republicans, including Reps. Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, and Abe Hamadeh, signaling broad party alignment behind candidates who prioritize his agenda of border security, economic strength, and election integrity.
On the Democratic side, Hobbs sailed to renomination while some progressive challengers tested incumbents in House races.
Rep. Greg Stanton held off a far-left challenger in the 4th District, avoiding a major upset and keeping the focus on general election dynamics.
The primary results show Republican unity behind Trump-aligned candidates who focus on core conservative priorities: securing the southern border in a state at the center of the migrant crisis, reducing government overreach, and delivering results for working families.
Biggs and the congressional nominees have pledged to work closely with the Trump administration on these fronts.
These victories come as Republicans eye gains in the 2026 midterms.
Arizona remains a key battleground, and a Biggs win would return the governor’s office to GOP hands after Hobbs’ narrow 2022 victory.
The results serve as an early indicator of party strength in the Sun Belt battleground, with the midterms roughly 100 days away.
Senate Pulls It Off with a Crucial 49 - 46 Vote — Lawmakers Have Just Approved President Donald Trump's Judicial Nominee To 6th Circuit
Senate Pulls It Off with a Crucial 49 - 46 Vote — Lawmakers Have Just Approved President Donald Trump's Judicial Nominee To 6th Circuit
President Trump has faced repeated legal setbacks in trying to implement his agenda, thanks to left-wing federal judges appointed by Joe Biden and other Democratic presidents.
In most of those cases, the judges appear to be making decisions based on their political opposition to the president and his agenda, as many of their rulings have been overturned.
But that said, Trump has been—with the GOP-controlled Senate’s help—steadily filling judicial vacancies on federal benches throughout his second term, and the chamber confirmed another nominee largely along party-line votes on Wednesday.
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Benjamin Flowers to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by a 49-46 vote, elevating the former Ohio solicitor general to the federal bench despite Democratic objections over his record and his refusal to state who won the 2020 presidential election.
Flowers, an attorney from Upper Arlington and a partner at Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC, will fill the vacancy left by Judge Jeffrey Sutton. President Trump nominated him to serve on the Sixth Circuit, which hears cases from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
During Flowers’ May 20 confirmation hearing, Democratic senators questioned him about issues that President Donald Trump has disputed and criticized what they described as his evasive responses.
When Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Flowers to identify the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Flowers replied that “legally speaking, Joe Biden was certified” before Blumenthal interrupted him.
Because Democrats have turned all hearings involving Trump nominees into political theater and circuses, Blumenthal—who lied about serving in Vietnam—claimed that Flowers’ answers sounded “rehearsed.”
“Above all, a federal judge must be independent, without fear or favor, and your fear, apparently, of Donald Trump, is so much that you practiced with the White House before you came here and rehearsed this answer, and are repeating by rote what you’ve been told to say,” Blumenthal said, calling that conduct disqualifying – as though he was ever going to support Flowers to begin with.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, defended Flowers against the criticism, arguing that Democrats were applying a double standard.
Grassley pointed to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing, during which she said, “It would be inappropriate for me to publicly weigh in to any subject of political debate.”
In addition, speaking of disqualifying, Jackson refused on several occasions to define a woman.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, also cited the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, arguing that the same ethical standards apply to both judicial nominees and sitting judges.
A graduate of Ohio State University and the University of Chicago Law School, Flowers clerked for Ninth Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta before serving as a law clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia.
He later spent several years at Jones Day and, as Ohio’s 10th solicitor general, argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the successful challenge to OSHA’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“Flowers resembles most of Trump 2.0’s appellate nominees, whom Mike Davis, the Leader of the Article 3 Project and a Trump judicial selection consigliere, characterizes as battle-hardened,” University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias told Cleveland.com.
“However, Flowers also resembles many Trump 1.0 appellate nominees, who are ideologically conservative, active members of the Federalist Society, and practiced at large national firms,” he added.
During his tenure as Ohio's 10th Solicitor General, Flowers established significant constitutional credentials, arguing three separate cases before the U.S. Supreme Court—most notably securing the landmark legal block that dismantled the federal OSHA emergency temporary standard regarding workplace vaccine mandates.
Legal observers note that Flowers represents the primary archetype of the administration's updated appellate strategy, which favors younger, ideologically consistent lawyers possessing extensive experience handling high-threshold state-level defense challenges.
REPRODUCTIVE STATUTES AND MIDTERM ENFORCEMENT NETWORKS
Beyond national electoral issues, opposition caucuses extensively cross-examined Flowers regarding his historical defense of Ohio public health and abortion regulations. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) directed intense focus toward Flowers' representation of the state's six-week gestational limits, referencing prominent regional cases to challenge his judicial temperament.
Flowers maintained a strict professional baseline throughout the interrogation, noting that any child or victim of assault suffers profound, irreparable harm, while underscoring that his statutory duty as solicitor general was to defend current state laws as enacted by the legislature.
With the Senate majority continuing its rapid tempo to process judicial confirmations ahead of the upcoming autumn midterm campaigns, the successful seating of Benjamin Flowers cews a critical operational vacancy—ensuring that the jurisprudence governing labor, commerce, and individual liberty across four major states remains firmly anchored in a strict interpretation of the Constitution.
