Baltimore man accused of framing school principal with an AI racist deepfake pleads guilty to child exploitation

The former Pikesville High School athletic director accused of using artificial intelligence to impersonate his principal has just pleaded guilty to an unrelated federal child exploitation charge.

According to court documents, Dazhon Darien used Cash App to pay a minor to send videos of himself between December 2023 and March 2024.

 A search of Darien's phones and online accounts revealed child sex abuse material, federal prosecutors said.  

He will be sentenced Nov. 10. Prosecutors are asking for 21 years as part of the plea deal.

This is not Darien's first time in front of a judge.

In April 2025, Darien took an Alford plea, maintaining his innocence but admitting there is enough evidence to convict him, for allegedly creating a fake racist rant of then Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert. 

Under the deal, Darien pleaded to one charge of disturbing school operations.

He was initially charged with stalking, retaliating against a witness and theft. Those charges were dropped under the plea deal, according to court officials.  

Prosecutors in that case were seeking a six-month sentence, but the sitting judge, Jan Marshall Alexander, gave Darien four months. 

"My life was forever changed," Eiswert said in a prepared statement. "I'm slowly rebuilding my career, but this experience will never leave me."