A deputy attorney general for New Jersey has been arrested and charged with felony offenses related to the creation and distribution of artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material. Brian Richard Fitzgerald, 51, was taken into custody on October 15, 2026, at his home in Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania. The charges include possession of child sexual abuse material, dissemination of photos or film of child sexual abuse materials, and criminal use of a communication facility.
The investigation into Fitzgerald began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported an illicit image shared by a Discord user on July 10, 2026. Digital forensics and subscriber records linked the Discord account, identified by the username "thegentlemanpervert_2160_07833," and its associated internet protocol addresses to Fitzgerald's residence. During a search of his home, law enforcement recovered prompts and scripts used to create AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Chat logs recovered from Discord reportedly show Fitzgerald admitting to creating multiple illicit images using artificial intelligence and sharing them with other users. Investigators also allege that Fitzgerald obtained and shared child sexual abuse material depicting real children through another social media platform.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan stated, "No one is above the law, least of all someone entrusted with upholding it." Fitzgerald was arraigned and bail was set at $2 million, with a 10% posting requirement. He was remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this month. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General's Office stated that the office is cooperating with investigators and taking appropriate action regarding Fitzgerald's employment.
The use of artificial intelligence in the creation of child exploitation material has been a growing concern. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children began tracking AI involvement in child exploitation cases in 2023, handling just over 4,000 cases that year. By 2025, that number had increased to 400,000. Officials note that some tools used to create such material are not inherently designed for criminal purposes, but can be exploited by malicious actors with the right prompts and technology.