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High News report Criminal Charges

Netherlands: the Public Prosecution Service will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake sex videos of dozens of Dutch public figures, including presenters, politicians and a member of the royal family (images of about sixty people were found on his devices), after the 2024 revelations about the MrDeepFakes platform

In March 2024 the newspaper AD revealed that a large number of Dutch women in public life, including artists, television presenters, Olympic athletes, current and former ministers, mayors and members of the royal family, appeared in manipulated pornographic videos on an online platform with 13 million monthly visitors, later identified as MrDeepFakes. Dozens of women filed police complaints and several spoke publicly: one presenter said she was preparing a complaint, a party leader said the video felt like 'digital rape', another presenter said she would file a complaint 'because tomorrow it could happen to young girls of sixteen', a presenter-entrepreneur did so 'to prevent new, young victims', and a member of parliament, told of a video by the House security service, went public rather than 'keep it small'. On 19 and 20 September 2026 AD, and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirming to NOS, reported that after more than a year of investigation the OM will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland, who is not in custody, for making the videos (Hart van Nederland, citing AD, says he is suspected of making and distributing them); images of about sixty well-known Dutch people and politicians were found on his devices, AD reported that he had been the platform's most active Dutch user, and he faces up to two years' imprisonment. The platform's Canadian operator, who removed material at the OM's request and blocked Dutch IP addresses before the site went offline, will not be prosecuted. One of the presenters reported to be among the depicted told AD she was relieved the case would go to court, having experienced the impact of such images herself. No hearing date has been set.

AI System

Face-swap deepfake video tools (not identified); videos published on the MrDeepFakes platform

Occurred

19 Mar 2024 to 19 Sept 2026

Reported

19 March 2024

Event location

Netherlands

Platform

other

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. NOS, NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland describe the videos as deepfakes in which the faces of known women were placed on pornographic footage, and the OM's prosecution, as confirmed to NOS, is for making deepfake porn (Hart van Nederland says he is suspected of making and distributing the videos); the specific tools are not identified in any inspected source.

AI-to-person relation

  • Depicted or impersonated the person

Core relations are communication, acting on someone’s behalf, and depiction or impersonation. Decision and claim relations are retained as contextual cases.

Someone else’s AI use. Settings: Privacy, Justice, Everyday life.

Claim status: Corroborated

In March 2024 a large number of Dutch women in public life, including presenters and politicians, were found to appear in manipulated pornographic videos on an online platform; dozens filed complaints and several described the harm publicly.

Causal attribution: AD's 2024 investigation as reported by NOS, with victims' public statements.

  • News report (supports): 'Managers en woordvoerders van verschillende slachtoffers bevestigen aan de NOS dat zij aangifte hebben gedaan of dat zij juridische stappen overwegen'
  • News report (supports): 'BBB-leider Caroline van der Plas, die bij Humberto zei dat de video voelt als "digitale verkrachting"'; '"Ik doe geen aangifte voor mezelf, maar om nieuwe, jonge slachtoffers te voorkomen."'; 'Erachter komen dat ik in een deepfake pornovideo zit, was misselijkmakend.'
  • News report (supports): 'De zaak kwam in maart 2024 aan het licht. Vrouwelijke politici, olympische sporters, presentatrices en leden van het Koninklijk Huis doken op in gemanipuleerde pornovideo's'; 'Tientallen vrouwen deden aangifte.'

Claim status: Reported

Images of about sixty well-known Dutch people and politicians were found on the suspect's computer and data carriers; AD's investigation into MrDeepFakes led to more than twenty complaints; according to AD he had been the platform's most active Dutch user, and some videos were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Causal attribution: AD's reporting of the OM's findings, relayed by NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland; one chain.

  • News report (supports): 'Op zijn computer en andere gegevensdragers werden beelden aangetroffen van ongeveer zestig bekende Nederlanders en politici'; 'Naar aanleiding daarvan deden meer dan twintig mensen aangifte. De Noord-Hollander zou volgens het AD de meest actieve Nederlandse gebruiker van het platform zijn geweest'; 'Sommige video's werden tienduizenden keren bekeken'
  • News report (supports): 'De man kwam in beeld door onderzoek naar het beruchte platform MrDeepFakes. Dat leidde tot meer dan twintig aangiftes'

Claim status: Corroborated

After more than a year of investigation the OM decided to prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake porn of dozens of well-known Dutch women; the maximum sentence is two years' imprisonment.

Causal attribution: OM spokesperson to NOS (after AD's report) and to AD (relayed by NH Nieuws); two chains for the decision itself.

  • News report (supports): 'Het Openbaar Ministerie gaat een 74-jarige man uit Noord-Holland vervolgen voor het maken van deepfakeporno van tientallen bekende Nederlandse vrouwen. Dat bevestigt een woordvoerder van het OM'; 'Na ruim een jaar onderzoek heeft justitie besloten hem voor de rechter te brengen'; 'De man riskeert een celstraf van maximaal twee jaar'
  • News report (supports): 'Het Openbaar Ministerie (OM) heeft na ruim een jaar onderzoek besloten de man voor de rechter te brengen'; 'De 74-jarige man kan daarvoor maximaal twee jaar gevangenisstraf krijgen'

Claim status: Reported

One of the presenters reported to be among the depicted said she was relieved the case would come to court, having experienced the impact of such fake images herself.

Causal attribution: Her statement to AD as relayed by NH Nieuws.

  • News report (supports): 'Zij zegt tegen het AD opgelucht te zijn dat de zaak voor de rechter komt. Volgens haar heeft zij zelf ervaren welke impact dergelijke nepbeelden kunnen hebben.'

Claim status: Reported

AD reported that the platform had 13 million monthly visitors and that the depicted people included Dutch artists, television presenters, Olympic athletes, current and former ministers, mayors and members of the royal family.

Causal attribution: AD's 2024 investigation, relayed by NOS; one chain.

  • News report (supports): 'Meerdere vrouwelijke bekende Nederlanders overwegen juridische stappen omdat zij zijn opgedoken in gemanipuleerde pornovideo's. Deze video's staan op een online platform met maandelijks 13 miljoen bezoekers, schrijft het AD'; 'Nederlandse artiesten, tv-presentatrices, olympische sporters, (oud-)ministers, burgemeesters en leden van het Koninklijk Huis voorkomen'
  • News report (context): 'De video's stonden op een online platform met maandelijks 13 miljoen bezoekers'

Claim status: Reported

The suspect has been informed of the decision and is not in custody; no hearing date is known. The platform's founder-operator, a Canadian from Toronto who had removed images at the OM's request and blocked Dutch IP addresses before the site went offline, will not be prosecuted because his conduct was not punishable in Canada and the OM will not try to bring him to the Netherlands.

Causal attribution: OM statements to AD, relayed by NOS and NH Nieuws; one chain.

  • News report (supports): 'Hij is op de hoogte van het besluit, zegt het OM tegen de krant'; 'De website waar de video's op stonden, werd opgericht en gerund door een Canadees uit Toronto. Hij verwijderde eerder al beelden op verzoek van het OM en blokkeerde de website voor Nederlandse IP-adressen'; 'De Canadees wordt niet vervolgd. Wat hij deed, was in Canada niet strafbaar. En het Nederlandse Openbaar Ministerie gaat niet proberen om hem naar Nederland te halen. Dat zou te veel politiecapaciteit vergen, laat het OM weten aan het AD.'
  • News report (supports): 'De verdachte zit niet vast. Het is nog niet bekend wanneer de zaak inhoudelijk voor de rechter komt'

What remains unknown

  • When the videos were made and over what period; the tools used.
  • The exact number of depicted people and of complainants ('about sixty'; 'more than twenty').
  • The charges' legal basis and whether distribution as well as creation is charged; no hearing date.
  • The suspect's identity beyond age and province is not reported and is not sought here.
  • The AD original could not be read; its details are known through relays.
  • The range start (19 March 2024) is the date the videos' existence was publicly revealed and complaints began; the videos were made and posted at unreported earlier dates. The range end (19 September 2026) is the date the prosecution decision was reported; the OM's decision date is not stated.
Source reading, translation and location

News report · nl · Source inspected

Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (HTTP 200; published 2026-09-20 12:26). An OM spokesperson confirmed the prosecution decision to NOS after AD's reporting; NOS adds its own 2024 reporting and the OM's position on the platform operator. Translated by the reviewer.

News report · nl · Source inspected

Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (NH Nieuws, published 2026-09-20 15:35 CEST (13:35 UTC)). Relays AD's report (which spoke to an OM spokesperson): devices, 'about sixty' people, more than twenty complaints, most active Dutch user, a presenter's reaction. AD itself answered 403. Translated by the reviewer.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

News report · nl · Source inspected

Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (Hart van Nederland, published 2026-09-20 11:43). Relays AD; grouped with s2. Translated by the reviewer.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

News report · nl · Source inspected

Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (NOS, 19 March 2024). NOS's own 2024 report on the AD revelations, with confirmations from victims' managers and the minister's reaction. Translated by the reviewer.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

News report · nl · Source inspected

Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (NOS, 20 March 2024). Own reporting with victims' public statements and a quote given to NOS. Translated by the reviewer.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

News report · Language unknown · Source unavailable

Original AD report of 19 September 2026; the live page answered HTTP 403 (DPG paywall) and the Internet Archive CDX service was offline on 2026-09-21. Its contents are known only through s2, s3 and s1. The 19 September date rests on Google News feed metadata, not on the body.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

Event countries: Netherlands. Affected-person countries: Netherlands. Court countries: Unknown.

The suspect is from Noord-Holland and the videos were made at his home (NH Nieuws citing AD); the depicted people are Dutch public figures; the platform was operated from Toronto (NOS). The prosecution decision is by the Dutch OM; no hearing has been scheduled, so no court country is recorded.

Reviewed for publication 2026-09-21: Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an image-based abuse case affecting identifiable people, with harm described publicly by several of the depicted women and a prosecution decision confirmed by the Public Prosecution Service to NOS. Five Dutch bodies read (two NOS chains and the AD relay chain); the AD original is unavailable. Depicted people who spoke publicly are quoted in locators but not named in the record; the suspect is not named.

What Happened

NOS reported on 19 March 2024, citing AD, that several well-known Dutch women were considering legal steps after appearing in manipulated pornographic videos on a platform with 13 million monthly visitors, on which a large number of Dutch artists, presenters, Olympic athletes, current and former ministers, mayors and members of the royal family appeared; AD withheld the platform's name to protect the victims; the justice minister called the videos sickening and urged victims to file complaints, and managers and spokespeople confirmed to NOS that complaints had been filed or legal steps were being considered. On 20 March 2024 NOS reported that several women had gone public: a presenter said on a talk show that she was preparing a complaint; a party leader said on a talk show that the video felt like 'digitale verkrachting'; an SBS presenter told AD she would file a complaint 'omdat het morgen ook bij jonge meisjes van 16 kan gebeuren'; an entrepreneur-presenter told NOS she was filing 'om nieuwe, jonge slachtoffers te voorkomen'; and a member of parliament, informed by the House security service and advised to keep it quiet to limit traffic to the videos, announced on Twitter that she would file a complaint, saying she was done with women having to stay silent out of fear. On 20 September 2026 NOS reported that the OM will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake porn of dozens of well-known Dutch women, confirmed by an OM spokesperson after AD's reporting; he came into view last year, has been informed after more than a year of investigation, and risks up to two years in prison; the site's Toronto-based operator had removed images at the OM's request and blocked Dutch IP addresses before the site went offline, and will not be prosecuted. NH Nieuws, citing AD, adds that images of about sixty well-known Dutch people and politicians were found on his computer and other data carriers, that AD's investigation into MrDeepFakes led to more than twenty complaints, that he was said to be the platform's most active Dutch user, that some videos were viewed tens of thousands of times with Dutch users suggesting new names underneath, and that one of the presenters told AD she was relieved the case would come to court, having experienced the impact of such images herself. Hart van Nederland, also citing AD, names three of the depicted women, including a member of the royal family, and says the man is suspected of making and distributing countless fake videos. Heute (Austria) and News.ru relay AD; a Talpa video page carries two presenters' reactions.

Reported harm

Dozens of women in Dutch public life (images of about sixty people were found on the suspect's devices) were depicted without consent in pornographic deepfake videos, some viewed tens of thousands of times; those who spoke publicly described the experience as sickening and as 'digital rape', and one was advised by parliamentary security to stay silent (NOS 2024; NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland citing AD, 2026). The 2026 prosecution decision is the consequence for the alleged maker.

Exploitation or AbusePsychological DistressReputational Harm

Outcome

Ongoing

19-20 September 2026: after more than a year of investigation the Public Prosecution Service decided to prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake sex videos of dozens of well-known Dutch women; an OM spokesperson confirmed the decision to NOS after AD's report. He has been informed, is not in custody, and faces a maximum of two years' imprisonment; no hearing date is known. The MrDeepFakes site was blocked for Dutch IP addresses and later taken offline; its Canadian founder-operator will not be prosecuted because his conduct was not punishable in Canada and the OM will not seek to bring him to the Netherlands (NOS). In an earlier, separate Dutch case, a 39-year-old man received a conditional community-service sentence in November 2023 for a deepfake porn video of a presenter (NOS, 19 March 2024).

People described

Dozens of Dutch public figures, described by NOS and Hart van Nederland as women (images of about sixty people were found on the suspect's devices): television presenters, artists, Olympic athletes, current and former ministers, mayors, members of parliament and a member of the royal family (NOS, NH Nieuws citing AD). Several are named in the sources because they spoke publicly; this record names none

People reported harmed in this case

At least 20 people

0 AI participants · 20 other people harmed

NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland, citing AD, report that the MrDeepFakes investigation led to more than twenty complaints ('meer dan twintig aangiften'), a documented lower bound of 20 depicted complainants; images of about sixty well-known people were found on the suspect's devices, but 'ongeveer zestig' is approximate and not all are confirmed as depicted victims. Documented minimum 20.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#deepfake#ncii#sexual-deepfake#mrdeepfakes#public-figures#politicians#royal-family#prosecution#netherlands#noord-holland#depicted

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2024). Netherlands: the Public Prosecution Service will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake sex videos of dozens of Dutch public figures, including presenters, politicians and a member of the royal family (images of about sixty people were found on his devices), after the 2024 revelations about the MrDeepFakes platform. NOPE: AI and people. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-netherlands-mrdeepfakes-74-year-old-prosecuted-deepfake-sex-videos-public-figures

BibTeX

@misc{2026_netherlands_mrdeepfakes_74_year_old_prosecuted_deepfake_sex_videos_public_figures,
  title = {Netherlands: the Public Prosecution Service will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake sex videos of dozens of Dutch public figures, including presenters, politicians and a member of the royal family (images of about sixty people were found on his devices), after the 2024 revelations about the MrDeepFakes platform},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {NOPE: AI and people},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-netherlands-mrdeepfakes-74-year-old-prosecuted-deepfake-sex-videos-public-figures}
}

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