The police consulted with forensic analysts from the FBI and the University of California, Berkeley, who determined that the recording was not authentic. “The results from that analysis indicated the recording contained traces of AI-generated content,” McCullough said.
Scott Shellenberger, the Baltimore County state’s attorney, said Thursday that the case appears to be “one of the first of its kind nationwide.”
Police believe that Darien created the deepfake audio to frame Eiswert, who was pursuing an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds.
Darien, 31, was arrested Thursday at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. He was attempting to board a flight at the time.
He faces charges of theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness, police said. Following a court appearance on Thursday afternoon, he was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
Many school community members believed Eiswert was responsible for the racist rant. He denied ever making the comments and has been suspended from the school since the investigation was launched.
