New Jersey deputy attorney general Brian Richard Fitzgerald was arrested and arraigned on felony child sexual abuse material charges in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, following an investigation into alleged AI-generated imagery, the county announced Thursday.
Prosecutors in Bucks County say the case shows that AI-generated child sexual abuse material is being charged under existing Pennsylvania child sexual abuse statutes, including when the accused is a senior state law enforcement official.
In a news release, the Bucks County government said that Fitzgerald, a 51-year-old resident of Lower Makefield Township, faces multiple felony counts after investigators uncovered that he utilized artificial intelligence to generate child sexual abuse material and disseminated the illicit content via social media platforms. Investigators also alleged that he obtained images depicting real children via another platform and shared those as well. Bucks County
According to the release, Fitzgerald was charged with three felony offenses under Pennsylvania law: possession of child sexual abuse material, dissemination of photos or film of child sexual abuse materials, and criminal use of a communication facility. The county said Fitzgerald was arrested at his home on October 15, 2026, arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Corryn L. Kronnagel, and had bail set at $2 million, 10 percent, before being remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for later this month, the county said, without giving a specific date. Bucks County
Investigation and charges
The affidavit of probable cause, described in the Bucks County announcement, traces the investigation to a CyberTip report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. According to the county, NCMEC reported that a Discord user shared an illicit image file on July 10, 2026. Digital forensics and subscriber records linked the Discord account and associated IP addresses to Fitzgerald's residence on Edgewood Road in Lower Makefield Township, the county said. Bucks County
During the execution of a search warrant at the home on October 15, investigators recovered prompts and scripts used to create artificially generated child sexual abuse material using an AI program, according to the release. The county said that chat logs retrieved from Discord showed a user with the handle "thegentlemanpervert_2160_07833" admitting to making multiple illicit images using artificial intelligence and sharing them with other users. Investigators identified that handle as Fitzgerald's, according to the affidavit summarized in the announcement. Bucks County
Ars Technica reported, citing the same Bucks County release, that Bucks County Detectives described the charges as felony charges related to AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and identified the Discord handle as "thegentlemanpervert_2160_07833." Ars Technica
Officials on AI CSAM enforcement
The Bucks County statement framed the prosecution as part of a broader approach to AI-assisted abuse material. District Attorney Joe Khan said, "No one is above the law, least of all someone entrusted with upholding it. Our office will pursue these cases aggressively and hold offenders fully accountable, regardless of their profession or title." Bucks County
Ars Technica noted that, in the United States, federal authorities have told law enforcement agencies that "CSAM generated by AI is still CSAM" and reported that the Department of Justice made what it described as one of its earliest arrests involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in 2024 after charging a Wisconsin man with spreading "thousands of realistic images" of prepubescent minors. The Bucks County release did not cite federal guidance but explicitly alleged that prompts and scripts for AI tools form part of the basis for the state-level charges. Ars Technica
Ars Technica also reported that, according to Fitzgerald's LinkedIn profile, he had served as deputy attorney general since 2016, preparing insurance fraud and insurance licensee cases for trial as a state prosecutor. Ars Technica
The Bucks County release on Fitzgerald's arrest concludes by stressing that "criminal charges are allegations subject to proof in court" and that defendants "are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." Bucks County