Former Baltimore County A.D. in AI deepfake scandal pleads guilty to federal child exploitation charge

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

Prosecutors said Dazhon Darien had inappropriate communications with at least five boys between the ages of 14 and 17, both before and after he was under investigation for using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic recording to retaliate against his former principal. 

Darien could spend up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in November. 

Child exploitation investigation 

While the deepfake investigation was underway, prosecutors and police seized Darien's phones and uncovered sexually explicit videos and conversations with boys as young as 14.

He told one victim who was a freshman in high school that he was a school principal, court documents show.

Prosecutors wrote in the plea agreement, "Darien exploited the minors while he was an administrator and a coach at a Maryland high school where he had regular access to minor boys. Darien continued to exploit minors following law enforcement's search of his residence in March 2024, and continued to exploit minors after he was charged with unrelated criminal conduct in state court."

Paul Budlow, the Assistant U.S. Attorney handling the case, declined to comment on the plea deal, under which he agreed to ask for no more than 21 years in prison.

However, Judge James K. Bredar could sentence Darien to as many as 30 years or as little as the mandatory minimum of 15.

Court records detailed explicit conversations with the children, several of whom Darien made plans to meet in person. 

He paid one child victim $224 to create nine explicit videos he stored on his phone, according to the statement of facts he signed. 

Several of the victims were from Baltimore City; one was from Brandywine, Maryland; one was from Houston; another victim was from Las Vegas. There are no indications any of the victims were his students in Baltimore County. 

Reaction inside the courtroom

U.S. Marshals kept a close eye on Darien in court. He wore a burgundy prison jumpsuit, and his voice appeared to crack at times as he answered question after question from Judge Bredar. 

Bredar spent almost an hour making sure Darien understood the seriousness of his plea. 

At one point, he made Darien read the facts of the case and then asked the former coach and teacher, "Is it true?" 

Darien replied, "Yes, Your Honor."

Deepfake scandal

Last year, Darien was sentenced to four months behind bars for disturbing school operations in connection with a racist and antisemitic recording mimicking the voice of his former principal Eric Eiswert, which prosecutors believe was an effort to destroy Eiswert's reputation. 

Darien entered an Alford plea, where he maintained his innocence while admitting prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction.

"What he did was reprehensible, had a great impact on Pikesville High School and Mr. Eiswert himself," Baltimore County Deputy State's Attorney John Cox told WJZ in April 2025. 

Cox also spoke about the AI recording, noting "the capabilities are frightening" to "create a public impression of something that is just absolutely not true."

Eiswert later settled a lawsuit against the school system alleging, among other things, Baltimore County Public Schools failed to vet Darien's qualifications before hiring him.