Manhattan DA Seizes Domains of 12 Websites It Alleges Sold AI-Generated Sexual Deepfakes of About 1,200 People

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced on September 14 that his office had seized, under a court order, the domains of 12 websites it alleges were used to publish and sell AI-generated sexual deepfakes of approximately 1,200 real people.

According to the district attorney's release, individuals under investigation allegedly used AI image and video creation tools to turn existing photos and videos of those people into what appear to be hyper-realistic images and videos of them engaged in sexual conduct, then used the sites to sell that material and other non-consensual intimate imagery. The release does not say which AI tools were allegedly used.

The office describes the action as the largest known seizure of AI-generated celebrity deepfake websites to date. That characterization is the office's own; the release cites no comparison figures.

The release says the people depicted are overwhelmingly women and are mostly public-facing, listing actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, social justice advocates and social media influencers. It says the sites were almost exclusively dedicated to AI-generated non-consensual imagery and advertised themselves in those terms. SLOP TV is not naming the sites or anyone depicted on them.

No charges or arrests are announced in the release, and it does not identify the people under investigation. "Our investigations into these websites and similar operations are ongoing," Bragg said in the release. The office said it will keep monitoring the sites to prevent them from resuming under different domains.

The release does not cite a statute. 404 Media, whose reporter Samantha Cole attended Bragg's press conference, reported that New York has had laws specifically criminalizing sexually explicit deepfakes since 2023 and that Bragg pointed to that legislation when asked what law the office was acting under. Bragg said his office can act on imagery posted without consent as long as the website is accessible from Manhattan, according to 404 Media. He declined to say whether the sites included images of minors, citing the ongoing investigation, the outlet reported.

Domain seizure is an established tool for the office's Cyber Crime Bureau. The release lists earlier seizures in other criminal investigations, including 12 domains belonging to five online vendors that allegedly sold stolen credit and debit card data.

Federal authorities have used the same approach against similar sites. In June, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security seized two domains used to publish thousands of digitally forged sexual images and videos of well-known women without their consent, 404 Media reported, citing a federal press release. The outlet also reported that earlier in September the first person convicted under the federal Take It Down Act was sentenced to 15 years in prison, in a case involving both real and AI-generated abuse images.

Writing in the National Law Review on September 17, Linn F. Freedman of law firm Robinson & Cole advised anyone depicted in a deepfake to contact the Manhattan district attorney's office or the consumer division of their state attorney general, depending on where they live.

For people who work with AI image and video generators, the case is a reminder that enforcement in this area targets conduct rather than software. The allegations concern sexual depictions of real people made and sold without their consent, and nothing in the release suggests the office is pursuing the makers of the tools. Still, the same class of tools that creators use for legitimate work is at the center of the allegations, and cases like this one could add pressure on AI platforms to tighten restrictions on real-person likenesses. The release does not say whether any platform or tool maker is cooperating with the investigation.

The allegations have not been tested in court, and the release describes an investigation, not a prosecution.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the district attorney's office, which asks anyone depicted on the sites to call its Cyber Crime Bureau at 212-335-9600.