The Alleged Campaign
A federal grand jury has charged a New York man with cyberstalking after he allegedly used artificial intelligence to generate nude images of a college student and spread them online. The defendant, 21 year old Anthony Belford, is accused of creating fake social media accounts on platforms including Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, X, Strava, and Yahoo to impersonate the victim and distribute the fabricated images. The harassment reportedly began while both attended the same college during the 2023-2024 academic year and continued after the victim transferred to a Georgia college in August 2024.
Impact and Legal Response
According to the Department of Justice, Belford created a fake LinkedIn profile using an AI generated nude image of the victim as its profile picture. He also used a spoofed Yahoo email account to send one of the images directly to the victim’s mother. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and the defendant was arraigned on June 10. Federal authorities emphasized that sharing or threatening to share intimate images, including those created by AI, without consent is illegal, and they urged victims to report such incidents to the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission.
Source: BleepingComputer
