New Jersey deputy attorney general Brian Richard Fitzgerald was arrested Thursday on felony charges related to AI-generated child sexual abuse material, according to Bucks County Detectives. The 51-year-old prosecutor is accused of using an AI program to turn photos of real minors taken from social media into sexualized images, which he then shared on social media.
The case began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an illicit image posted on Discord in July. Investigators used digital forensics, subscriber records, and IP addresses to trace the account 'thegentlemanpervert_2160_07833' to Fitzgerald's home. A search recovered AI prompts and scripts, along with Discord chat logs in which Fitzgerald allegedly admitted to creating and distributing the images.
Fitzgerald, who had served as deputy attorney general since 2016, faces charges including possession of CSAM, dissemination of CSAM, and criminal use of a communication facility. District attorney Joe Khan said no one is above the law and that his office would pursue these cases aggressively regardless of profession or title, echoing the DOJ's position that AI-generated CSAM is as harmful as traditional CSAM. The article notes that while some police officers have been arrested for similar offenses, this is a rare case involving a state prosecutor.