New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Arrested in AI-Generated CSAM Case

Summary

New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Brian Richard Fitzgerald, 51, was arrested on felony charges related to allegedly creating and distributing AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Authorities say he used photos of real minors from social media to create sexualized images and shared them online. The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip about an illicit image shared by a Discord user in July. Detectives said digital forensics, subscriber records, and IP addresses linked the account to Fitzgerald’s home. A search allegedly uncovered prompts and scripts for generating the material, along with Discord logs in which Fitzgerald admitted to creating and sharing multiple illicit AI images. He faces charges for possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse material and criminal use of a communication facility. Fitzgerald had served as a New Jersey deputy attorney general since 2016. District Attorney Joe Khan said the state considers AI-generated CSAM as harmful as other CSAM and that the law will be enforced regardless of an accused person’s title.