First TAKE IT DOWN Act Arrests | DOJ Charges Two Men with AI Deepfake Pornography Targeting Celebrities and Officials

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed the first criminal complaints under the TAKE IT DOWN Act on May 20, 2026, charging two men with publishing thousands of AI-generated deepfake pornographic images depicting actresses, singers, elected officials, and private individuals. The arrests mark the inaugural federal prosecutions under the law signed by Congress on April 28, 2025.

Cornelius Shannon, 51, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, of Bedias, Texas, face up to two years in prison each if convicted. According to the unsealed complaints, content uploaded by the pair was viewed millions of times. The case is being prosecuted by the Eastern District of New York's National Security and Cybercrime Section. See the original DOJ press release.

What the TAKE IT DOWN Act Actually Criminalizes

The TAKE IT DOWN Act, an acronym for "Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act," was passed by Congress on April 28, 2025. It criminalizes the nonconsensual publication of intimate visual depictions, including AI-generated deepfake material designed to simulate a real person engaging in sexual conduct.

The law was the federal response to a wave of state-level revenge porn statutes that left a patchwork enforcement gap. It also closed the loophole that had let synthetic-but-realistic imagery escape prosecution under traditional obscenity laws. Maximum penalty per count: two years' federal imprisonment.

The Federal Trade Commission operates a parallel reporting platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov where victims can submit complaints about platforms that fail to act on removal requests.

United States v. Cornelius Shannon | 360 Albums, 90 Victims

According to court filings detailed by U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., Shannon has published at least 360 albums containing AI deepfake pornography depicting approximately 90 different female victims since May 19, 2025, the day after the TAKE IT DOWN Act took effect. The content was uploaded to an image- and video-sharing platform designed for adult creators.

The victims include actresses, singers, and political figures, prosecutors allege. Shannon was arrested in New Jersey on May 20, 2026, and appeared the same afternoon in Brooklyn before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg. The case is docketed as E.D.N.Y. 26-MJ-96.

United States v. Arturo Hernandez | Non-Public Figures Included

Hernandez, 20, of Bedias, Texas, faces parallel charges. Prosecutors allege he published approximately 113 albums to a website containing deepfake content depicting roughly 50 identifiable female victims, including non-public figures and personal acquaintances of the defendant.

The complaints describe a specific technique: non-explicit photographs of identifiable individuals morphing into deepfake depictions of those same people in various stages of undress or engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Content uploaded by Hernandez was viewed nearly a million times before the arrest. He was taken into custody in Bedias, Texas, and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Docketed as E.D.N.Y. 26-MJ-97.

Why This Matters | The First Federal Deepfake Conviction Test Case

These are the first federal prosecutions under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, and they will shape how the law is applied for years. Three things make the case significant beyond the headline.

First, the victim pool spans celebrities, elected officials, and private citizens. That cross-section forces the court to apply the statute uniformly regardless of victim public-figure status, which closes one of the most common defenses in nonconsensual imagery cases.

Second, the platforms involved were public, indexed, and operating at scale. Shannon and Hernandez did not use end-to-end encrypted channels or invite-only forums. They uploaded to platforms that allowed millions of views. If federal authorities can prosecute uploaders directly, the platform-liability question (will hosts be next?) becomes more pressing.

Third, the arrests come exactly one year and one day after the law took effect, which signals that the FBI's New York Field Office has been building these cases steadily rather than waiting for high-profile complaints. FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. called the conduct "predatory" and confirmed Houston and Newark field offices assisted.

The Quote That Set the Tone

As alleged, the defendants used cutting-edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated victims across the United States. This case makes clear that posting deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime.

, Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York

What We Do Not Know Yet

Several questions remain open as the cases move to arraignment. The complaints do not name the specific celebrity and elected official victims, citing victim-protection protocols. The names of the platforms that hosted the content are also not disclosed in the unsealed materials, leaving open whether the DOJ will pursue charges against hosts in a follow-up phase.

The complaints also do not specify which AI models or deepfake generation tools the defendants used. That detail will matter for any future case against tool developers under aiding-and-abetting theories.

The charges are allegations only, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

How to Report Nonconsensual Deepfake Imagery

Victims and members of the public who become aware of nonconsensual intimate imagery online can report it through two federal channels: the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) operated by the FBI, or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The Federal Trade Commission's TakeItDown.ftc.gov portal accepts complaints about platforms that fail to honor removal requests.

This is a developing story. OzoneNews will update with arraignment outcomes, defense filings, and any expansion of charges. See related coverage of Baltimore's lawsuit against xAI and the broader copyright and AI law beat.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York | Two Individuals Arrested for Publishing AI Deepfake Pornography In Violation Of TAKE IT DOWN Act (May 20, 2026)
• Shannon complaint (redacted, PDF)
• Hernandez complaint (redacted, PDF)
• Federal Trade Commission | TakeItDown.ftc.gov