Baltimore police have arrested a former high school athletic director accused of using AI-generated recordings to simulate racist and antisemitic comments from the school principal.
Dazhon Darien, a 31-year-old former Baltimore high school athletic director, was arrested when he allegedly tried to board a flight to Houston with a weapon. Police officers with the Maryland Transportation Authority stopped Darien after finding he had an active arrest warrant and took him into custody.
According to The Baltimore Banner, Darien is accused of programming Principal Eric Eiswert’s voice to make anti-Semitic remarks in an audio clip he distributed over social media.
Baltimore County Chief of Police Robert McCollough said police believe Darien leaked the fake audio “to retaliate” against Eiswert, who had investigated Darien earlier this year for improperly handling school finances.
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Two forensic analysts from separate companies analyzed the recording and concluded that artificial intelligence generated it. In an effort to find out who sent the recording, officials found that Darien’s work email account had been used to send it to another school employee.
“The audio clip … had profound repercussions,” the police’s charging documents read, according to the outlet. “It not only led to Eiswert’s temporary removal from the school but also triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school. The recording also caused significant disruptions for the PHS staff and students.
Darien confessed to sending the recording but denied creating the clip. However, investigators found Darien’s phone number listed as the recovery contact for the AI account. School officials also confirmed that Darien used the school’s network to search for OpenAI tools.
“We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic. The Baltimore County Police Department reached that determination after conducting an extensive investigation,” Baltimore Police Chief Robert McCullough said in a press conference Thursday.
“Through their investigations, detectives allege Mr. Darien, who was the athletic Director at the high school, made the recording to retaliate against the principal who had launched an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds,” McCollough said.
Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County’s state’s attorney, said this is the first time his office has seen a case involving artificial intelligence. He wants lawmakers to update legislation to take technology abuse into consideration.
There are several charges against Darien, including stalking, theft, disrupting school operations, and retaliation against a witness. He has been released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
