{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-07T02:56:23.141Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"public-figure","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":2,"coverage":{"cases":2,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":0,"coreRelations":2,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-brazil-police-say-fake-online-donation-campaigns-used-ai-deepfake-videos-of-a-singer-and-two-priests","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Segundo a Polícia Civil, o grupo criava e divulgava páginas falsas de arrecadação de doações' ... 'Para ampliar o alcance das campanhas e atrair mais pessoas, os investigados recorriam a ferramentas de inteligência artificial, incluindo as chamadas' ... 'para criar vídeos falsos com imagens de personalidades públicas, como Gusttavo Lima e os padres Marcelo Rossi e Fábio de Melo.' ... 'As publicações circulavam nas redes sociais e direcionavam os usuários a páginas que simulavam campanhas beneficentes legítimas. Os valores arrecadados, porém, eram transferidos para contas bancárias controladas pelo grupo.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Para dar credibilidade às campanhas, os suspeitos também recorriam a ferramentas de inteligência artificial, incluindo a tecnologia deepfake, para produzir vídeos falsos com imagens de personalidades como o cantor Gusttavo Lima e os padres Marcelo Rossi e Fábio de Melo.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the police, the group created and spread fake donation pages and, to attract donors, used artificial intelligence tools including deepfakes to make fake videos with the images of the singer Gusttavo Lima and the priests Marcelo Rossi and Fábio de Melo; the posts circulated on social media and led users to pages imitating legitimate charity appeals, and the money went to accounts the group controlled.","causal_attribution":"Police account relayed by the outlets; all sources relay one police release, and the technical basis for the AI attribution is not disclosed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os investigados usavam inteligência artificial para criar vídeos de falsos idosos, crianças e pessoas com doenças graves para sensibilizar e induzir as vítimas a fazerem doações.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"g1 reports that the suspects also used artificial intelligence to make videos of fake elderly people, children and seriously ill people to move victims to donate.","causal_attribution":"g1's account of the police investigation; the other reports describe these as images used on the pages without saying they were AI-made."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Entre 13 de outubro e 26 de novembro de 2025, a companhia recebeu 215.575 transações, que somaram R$ 9.839.087,73. A maioria dos pagamentos envolvia quantias relativamente baixas, especialmente R$ 30 e R$ 50.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'O padrão aplicado pelo grupo sugere um número expressivo de vítimas em diferentes regiões do país, ainda que a soma de transações não corresponda necessariamente ao número de pessoas afetadas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A PCDF ressalva que não dá para ligar esse total a um número exato de vítimas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Police say one company linked to the group received 215,575 transactions totalling R$9,839,087.73 between 13 October and 26 November 2025, mostly of R$30 and R$50, and that the number of transactions does not necessarily match the number of victims.","causal_attribution":"Police financial findings relayed by the outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A ação cumpre seis mandados de prisão preventiva, além de mandados de busca e apreensão no Distrito Federal e nos estados de Goiás, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina e São Paulo. A Justiça também determinou o bloqueio de ativos financeiros e patrimoniais. Até o momento, cinco investigados foram presos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Os agentes prenderam seis pessoas: duas em Planaltina, no Distrito Federal; uma em Planaltina de Goiás, uma em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais; e uma em Joinville, em Santa Catarina.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 28 October 2026 the Federal District Civil Police launched an operation with six preventive arrest warrants, search warrants in the Federal District and four states, and asset freezes; five suspects had been arrested by the time of the CNN Brasil report, while g1 reported six arrests.","causal_attribution":"Procedural facts reported from the police; the arrest count differs between reports."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A análise de contas eletrônicas também revelou mais de 230 GB de arquivos, incluindo vídeos, imagens, roteiros, códigos de programação, bancos de dados e materiais destinados à produção de novas campanhas fraudulentas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Investigators found more than 230 GB of files in the group's accounts, including videos, images, scripts, programming code, databases and material for new fraudulent campaigns.","causal_attribution":"Police finding relayed by CNN Brasil."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os investigados poderão responder por estelionato eletrônico, organização criminosa e lavagem de dinheiro, entre outros crimes que venham a ser identificados no decorrer da apuração.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A PCDF não divulgou os nomes dos presos, e a defesa não foi localizada. A polícia descreve o cantor e os padres como imagens usadas nos vídeos falsos, não como participantes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Police say the suspects may answer for electronic fraud, criminal organisation and money laundering; the police did not release the names of those arrested and describe the singer and the priests as images used in the fake videos, not as participants.","causal_attribution":"Police statements relayed by the outlets."}],"effects":[{"label":"people moved by fake charity appeals using AI-made videos of public figures sent donations to the group","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/centro-oeste/df/policia-prende-grupo-que-usava-deepfake-de-gusttavo-lima-em-golpe-de-doacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. CNN Brasil report, read in full; it relays the PCDF operation release.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/brasilia/pcdf-prende-suspeitos-de-arrecadar-quase-r-10-milhoes-com-falsas-campanhas-de-doacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Jornal de Brasília report, read in full; it relays the same PCDF release (photo credited PCDF).","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://g1.globo.com/df/distrito-federal/noticia/2026/10/28/grupo-suspeito-ia-falsas-campanhas-beneficentes.ghtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. g1 DF report, read in full; it relays the police account and a police video; it gives six arrests where the other reports give five.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://soubrasilia.com/golpe-vaquinha-falsa-pix-deepfake-pcdf-operacao-caritas-como-evitar/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. SouBrasília explainer, read in full; it relays the PCDF release and states the police caveat on victim numbers.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tools were used and how the police established that the videos were AI-made.","How many people donated, and how many did so because of the AI-made videos of public figures rather than the other material on the pages.","Whether the singer or the priests depicted have responded to the use of their images.","The full period of the campaigns beyond the 13 October to 26 November 2025 window traced for one company, and what charges will follow."],"geography":{"basis":"The police operation ran in the Federal District, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and São Paulo, and the police say the victims were in different regions of the country; the warrants were issued by a Brazilian court.","court_countries":["BR"],"event_countries":["BR"],"affected_person_countries":["BR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the investigating Federal District Civil Police say the group used AI tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests to draw donors to fake charity pages, and that the group took in about R$9.8 million through one company in late 2025. The police's technical basis is not disclosed. All four sources relay one police release, so every claim is reported. No private person is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"According to the Federal District Civil Police, whose release CNN Brasil, Jornal de Brasília, g1 DF and SouBrasília relay, the investigation found that the group used artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests, and that these videos were used to attract donors to fake charity pages. This is an attribution of this scheme by the investigating police, which also report seizing more than 230 GB of the group's videos, images, scripts and code; how the police established that the videos were AI-made is not disclosed. People deceived by the generated videos of public figures were impersonated toward them (depicted_or_impersonated).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Brasília police say a group used AI deepfake videos of singer Gusttavo Lima and two priests in fake donation drives that took in nearly R$10 million","summary":"The Federal District Civil Police (PCDF) in Brazil say a criminal group ran fake online donation campaigns that used images of elderly people, children and seriously ill people, and used artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of the singer Gusttavo Lima and the Catholic priests Marcelo Rossi and Fábio de Melo. The posts circulated on social media and sent people to pages imitating legitimate charity appeals; the money went to bank accounts the group controlled. Police say one company linked to the group received 215,575 transactions totalling about R$9.8 million between 13 October and 26 November 2025, mostly of R$30 and R$50, and that the number of transactions does not necessarily match the number of victims. On 28 October 2026 the PCDF launched Operação Cáritas with six preventive arrest warrants and search warrants in the Federal District and four states; five suspects had been arrested by the time of most reports (g1 reported six). How the police established that the videos were AI-made is not disclosed, and no response from the people depicted is reported.","incidentDate":"2025-10-13","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-26","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-28","aiSystem":"Artificial intelligence tools, not named, including deepfake technology, that the Federal District Civil Police say the group used to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests for fake donation campaigns","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Police say people who saw fake charity appeals promoted with AI-made videos of a singer and two priests sent donations to accounts the group controlled; one linked company received about R$9.8 million in 215,575 transactions in October and November 2025.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"Unquantified. The police describe victims who were induced to transfer money and say the transaction pattern suggests many victims, but they state that the 215,575 transactions do not necessarily correspond to the number of people affected, and no count of people is given. The 66 police reports in the Federal District concern companies receiving money from various electronic frauds and are not counted. The singer and priests depicted are not counted because no response or consequence is reported for them.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"BR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/centro-oeste/df/policia-prende-grupo-que-usava-deepfake-de-gusttavo-lima-em-golpe-de-doacao/","primarySourceLabel":"CNN Brasil, 28 Oct 2026: police arrest group that used Gusttavo Lima deepfake in donation scam (Portuguese)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:23.542533+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:23.542533+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","donation-scam","fraud","police-investigation","public-figures","brazil","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-queens-prosecutors-say-council-candidate-used-ai-to-fake-endorsements-and-news-reports-about-opponent","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'was arraigned today on a criminal complaint charging him with three counts of forgery in the third degree and 15 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree.'; 'was arrested on June 24 by members of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former New York City Council candidate in District 29 with three counts of third-degree forgery and 15 counts of third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; he was arrested on 24 June 2026 and arraigned on a criminal complaint.","causal_attribution":"The district attorney's own record of the charges; the charges are accusations."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Court-authorized subpoena records and search warrants revealed that, between January 17 and November 4, 2025,'; 'routinely and deliberately created and posted AI-generated images on his official social media accounts – primarily Facebook and Instagram – that falsely depicted endorsements from individuals and organizations that had not backed his candidacy and in fact, backed the opposition.'; 'allegedly used specific AI prompts to manufacture fraudulent news articles, using the logo and branding of legitimate news organizations'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors allege that subpoena records and search warrants showed that between 17 January and 4 November 2025 the candidate created and posted AI-generated images on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts that falsely depicted endorsements, and used AI prompts to make fake news articles carrying the branding of real news organisations.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation, based on records their investigation obtained; not yet tested in court."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'on October 4, 2025,'; 'The article depicted a photograph of the defendant shaking hands with former New York City Council Member Robert Holden under the title,'; 'He then allegedly prompted an AI platform to: “Take the first image and face swap the man in the left on the second image”'; 'The generated image fictitiously depicted the defendant shaking hands with the former council member'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 4 October 2025 the candidate prompted an AI platform to face-swap his own face into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with former council member Robert Holden, which he placed in a fake New York Post article claiming Holden had endorsed him.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“It's a fake, AI-generated image and Holden did not endorse Rinaldi,” said Holden’s longtime Chief of Staff Daniel Kurzyna, whose name is used as the byline on the story.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the former council member's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle that the handshake image was a fake, AI-generated image and that the former member had not endorsed the candidate.","causal_attribution":"The chief of staff's statement to the Eagle; he does not say how he knew the image was AI-generated."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'prompted Google Gemini to place that image onto a fictious Amsterdam News article.'; 'The fake article generated by his prompts, titled “Mamdani supporter Councilwoman … questioned by police for hacking,”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that in October 2025 the candidate prompted Google Gemini to place a photo taken from the official Instagram account of his opponent, incumbent Council Member Lynn Schulman, onto a fake Amsterdam News article whose headline said a councilwoman who supported Mamdani had been questioned by police for hacking, and posted it to Instagram.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On October 24, 2025,'; 'published a fictitious video to his Facebook account that was generated with Sora, an OpenAI application, with the caption, “!!!!Breaking news!!!! Lynn Schulman drops out of race for city council !!!”'; 'two additional videos were manufactured to mimic fictious broadcast segments.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 24 October 2025 the candidate posted a video generated with OpenAI's Sora in which a purported news anchor announced that his opponent had ended her campaign, and posted further fake articles and videos saying she had dropped out.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'public institutions that do not allow political endorsements, were AI-generated videos that depicted what appeared to be police officers and children making statements in support of'; 'None of the officers or children depicted worked at the precinct or attended P.S. 101.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the candidate also posted AI-generated videos of what appeared to be police officers and children endorsing him on behalf of a police precinct and an elementary school, public institutions that do not allow political endorsements; none of the people shown worked at the precinct or attended the school.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a recorded call that occurred several days after the image was posted, the head of QJA spoke with'; 'The manipulated QJA endorsement was taken down but then subsequently re-posted to the defendant’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on October 29, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the head of the Queens Jewish Alliance spoke with the candidate in a recorded call to ask about an altered copy of the alliance's endorsement sheet, and that the post was taken down and then re-posted on 29 October 2025.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account; they describe this sheet as altered and do not say which tool altered it."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My opponent has decided that his best path to victory is by lying about me and creating fake news to divide our community.”'; '“Any person who would stoop to creating and publishing fake news and AI videos to divide the community is wholly unfit to serve in elected office,” the councilmember added.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the opponent said in a statement that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news to divide the community, and that anyone who would create and publish fake news and AI videos was unfit for office.","causal_attribution":"The opponent's own statement to the Eagle."},{"id":"c10","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My accounts have definitely been hacked and I’m looking into it,” he said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He said he would not confirm or deny that he made the posts or generated the images at issue.'; '“This is an issue that strikes at the heart of our First Amendment freedoms — not just for me, but for everybody.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the candidate told the Queens Daily Eagle that his accounts had been hacked, and in June 2026 he told the Associated Press he would not confirm or deny making the posts or generating the images and called the case a free-speech issue.","causal_attribution":"The accused's own statements, recorded as counterevidence; the Eagle notes the accounts had posted apparently AI-created images since April 2025."},{"id":"c11","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'including some of his Democratic opponent, Lynn Schulman, appearing to wear a shirt that read “Hot Girls for Zohran.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'also posted doctored images of his opponent Schulman, standing next to Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and wearing branded “Hot Girls for Zohran” T-shirts.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the Associated Press's account of the complaint, prosecutors allege the candidate used AI to make doctored photos of his opponent appearing to wear a shirt reading “Hot Girls for Zohran”; the Queens Daily Eagle reported on 6 October 2025 that his campaign accounts had posted doctored images of her wearing such T-shirts.","causal_attribution":"The AI use is the prosecutors' allegation as relayed by the AP; the Eagle describes the images as doctored without naming a tool."}],"effects":[{"label":"the opponent said in October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news","claim_id":"c9","direction":"negative"},{"label":"an AI face-swapped image showed a former council member endorsing a candidate he did not back; his office called it fake","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens County District Attorney press release, 24 June 2026, summarising the criminal complaint and the investigation's subpoena and search-warrant records; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-da-complaint-jun-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://queenseagle.com/all/2025/10/6/queens-council-candidate-flaunts-fake-endorsements-and-doctored-news-articles","kind":"original_news_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens Daily Eagle, 6 October 2025, contemporaneous report with its own statements from the opponent, a state assembly member, the former council member's chief of staff and the candidate; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-eagle-6-oct-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/new-york-city-council-candidate-is-accused-of-forgery-over-ai-generated-posts/6517926/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Associated Press report published by NBC New York, 25 June 2026, with the AP's own phone interview of the accused; its account of the charges relays the district attorney's complaint; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"ap-24-jun-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","public_life","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI platform produced the face-swapped handshake image; the prosecutors quote the prompt but do not name the platform.","How many people saw the posts, and whether any voter acted on them.","The outcome of the criminal case."],"geography":{"basis":"The posts concerned a 2025 New York City Council race in Queens District 29, the depicted officials are Queens elected officials, and the charges were brought by the Queens District Attorney in Queens Criminal Court (district attorney release, Queens Daily Eagle).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Queens District Attorney alleges, from subpoena records and search warrants, that a council candidate used an AI face swap, Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora to make images, a fake article and a newscast video depicting a former council member's endorsement and his opponent's withdrawal; the opponent and the former member's office objected in October 2025. The charges are accusations and the accused has not admitted the posts.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Queens District Attorney, citing court-authorised subpoena records and search warrants, alleges the specific AI use: a prompt to an AI platform to face-swap the candidate into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with a former council member; prompts to Google Gemini that produced a fake newspaper article about his opponent; and a video generated with OpenAI's Sora announcing that she had quit. The former council member's chief of staff separately told the Queens Daily Eagle in October 2025 that the handshake image was fake and AI-generated. The accused said his accounts were hacked and has not confirmed or denied making the posts; the charges are untested.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Queens prosecutors say a City Council candidate used AI to fake endorsements and news reports, including a video saying his opponent quit","summary":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former candidate for New York City Council District 29 with forgery in June 2026, alleging that from January to November 2025 he posted AI-generated images, fake news articles and videos on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Prosecutors say subpoena records and search warrants show he prompted an AI platform to face-swap himself into a photo shaking hands with former Council Member Robert Holden for a fake New York Post endorsement story, used Google Gemini to make a fake Amsterdam News article saying his opponent, Council Member Lynn Schulman, was questioned by police, and posted a Sora-generated newscast announcing that she had dropped out. They also allege AI videos of apparent police officers and children endorsing him. In October 2025 Holden's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle the handshake image was fake and AI-generated, and Schulman said her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news. The accused said his accounts were hacked and later told the AP he would not confirm or deny making the posts.","incidentDate":"2025-01-17","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-04","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-10-06","aiSystem":"Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora, plus an unnamed AI platform used for a face swap, as identified by Queens prosecutors from the candidate's prompts","aiProduct":"Gemini and Sora (reported)","aiCompany":"Google; OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors allege AI-made posts falsely showed a former council member endorsing a candidate and falsely reported that the candidate's opponent had dropped out and been questioned by police; the opponent said on 6 October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news, and the former member's office called the image fake.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted officials whose objections are reported are counted: the opponent (her statement to the Queens Daily Eagle) and the former council member (his chief of staff's statement that the image was fake and AI-generated). Other officials, organisations, the depicted institutions and voters are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NY","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","primarySourceLabel":"Queens District Attorney, 24 June 2026: former City Council candidate charged with forgery over altered endorsements and phony news reports","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["election","deepfake","ai-generated-image","ai-generated-video","fake-news-article","forgery-charge","public-figure","depicted"]}]}