Former Pikesville assistant principal sues over racist deepfake audio recording

The former assistant principal at Pikesville High School, whose name was mentioned in a racist deepfake audio, is suing the person who created the audio and Baltimore County Public Schools.

Dazhon Darien, the former athletic director at Pikesville High, created the audio that made it sound like his principal uttered racist and antisemitic comments. 

In April 2025, Darien accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to four months in prison.

What the lawsuit mentions

Kathryn Albert, the school's former assistant principal, was briefly mentioned in the fake audio. She said in the lawsuit that even though the recording was fake, it has tarnished her reputation.

The lawsuit alleges that the Baltimore County Public Schools failed to correct the record despite proof that the recording was not real.

The former principal of Pikesville High School, Eric Eiswert, also sued the school system and eventually settled the case.

The use of AI to incriminate school principals

In 2024, Darien used AI to create a recording of principal Eric Eiswert, which impersonated him using racist and antisemitic comments.

In court, Darien took an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence while recognizing that there is enough evidence to potentially reach a conviction. 

The fake audio clip imitated the principal using racist commentary, including statements that African-American students were unable to test their way out of a paper bag, according to charging documents.

The clip also mentioned Jewish individuals and two teachers who "should never have been hired at the school." Police said there was also a false conversation between the principal and the assistant principal.

The audio was widely circulated on social media.