Ex-state deputy attorney general accused of making AI-generated child porn
Prosecutors in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have alleged that a since-fired New Jersey deputy attorney general used artificial intelligence software to produce sexually explicit images of children and circulated them through the communication platform Discord. (Image from Shutterstock)
Prosecutors in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have alleged that a since-fired New Jersey deputy attorney general used artificial intelligence software to produce sexually explicit images of children and circulated them through the communication platform Discord.
Law360 reported Friday that Brian Richard Fitzgerald, 51, of the Lower Makefield Township in Pennsylvania, is accused of and faces charges of possessing child sexual abuse material, disseminating depictions of sex acts involving children, and misusing a communication facility.
According to Law360, the case began in August, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children passed along a tip about a Discord account that had shared an image of a nude prepubescent girl. Records from Discord led investigators to an IP address and email accounts they say they connected to Fitzgerald through a backup email address and payment details tied to it.
In Discord chats, the account holder said he only had AI-generated images, and he had made nearly all of them, according to the affidavit. When officers searched Fitzgerald’s home Thursday, he told them that he used an online generator to create the images, shared them on Discord, and gathered pictures of real children from the internet, according to the affidavit. He said he erased his material after Discord shut down his account, but investigators say they found his text prompts saved in a notes app on his phone.
Fitzgerald joined the New Jersey attorney general’s office in May 2016 and mostly handled insurance fraud matters, according to his LinkedIn page. A spokesperson told Law360 that the office fired him effective Oct. 15 and is assisting in the investigation.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said in a statement his office will vigorously pursue these cases regardless of the defendant’s profession or position.
A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 27. No defense attorney is listed, according to Law360.
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