The Pulse
Manhattan DA Seizes 12 AI Deepfake Porn Sites
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his office seized 12 domains used to sell non-consensual AI-generated sexual images and videos. Investigators identified about 1,200 victims, most of them women and public-facing figures.
AI.info Team ·
Bragg’s seizure targets sites that openly sold synthetic sexual abuse
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced on September 14, 2026, that his office had seized 12 domain names linked to websites selling or distributing non-consensual AI-generated sexual images and videos. The move removes a dozen prominent addresses from public access, but the investigation is still focused on identifying the people who operated the sites and uploaded the material.
Investigators say the websites used pre-existing photographs and videos of approximately 1,200 real people to create images and videos that appeared to show them engaging in sexual conduct. The victims were overwhelmingly women and included actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, social justice advocates and social media influencers, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
“1,200 individuals had their faces and bodies stolen and turned into illegal pornography on 12 different websites – without their knowledge or consent,” Bragg said in the announcement. He described the material as a violation that can follow victims into their careers and private lives, and said his office would not tolerate businesses profiting from its publication.
Seized domains may not end the distribution
The district attorney’s office says it acted pursuant to a court order and will continue monitoring the websites to prevent them from returning under different domains. That qualification points to the central problem with the operation: taking control of a web address can disrupt access, but it does not automatically erase copies stored elsewhere or stop the creation of new material.
WIRED observed several of the affected homepages replaced by seizure notices before Bragg’s announcement. The sites had not been publicly named by prosecutors, and archived versions showed videos that had attracted thousands of views. Some appeared to have operated for years and used names advertising celebrity or “real” deepfake material.
Leonie Oehmig, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told WIRED that the seizures showed state enforcement could reach websites hosting synthetic non-consensual intimate imagery. She also said effective intervention would need to address the creation tools, hosting infrastructure, promotion systems and payment networks that allow the material to spread. Benjamin Shultz of the American Sunlight Project separately told the publication that some videos appeared to have been reposted from the previously shuttered MrDeepFakes platform.
New York’s action follows federal deepfake charges
The New York case comes after federal prosecutors brought separate charges in May against Cornelius Shannon and Arturo Hernandez under the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act. The Eastern District of New York alleged that Shannon published at least 360 albums depicting about 90 female victims, while Hernandez allegedly posted about 113 albums depicting approximately 50 identifiable women. The government said the material in those cases had been viewed millions of times and nearly one million times, respectively.
The federal complaints are allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The Manhattan district attorney’s announcement does not identify suspects, announce arrests or state that anyone has been charged in connection with the 12 seized domains. It says the investigation into the websites and similar operations remains active.
Victims are being asked to contact prosecutors
Bragg’s office is asking people who believe they appeared on the seized websites to contact its Cyber Crime Bureau at 212-335-9600. The office said the websites were accessible in Manhattan and elsewhere in New York, giving prosecutors a basis to seek court-authorized control of the domains.
The seizure also reflects a legal distinction that matters in these cases: the images may be fabricated, but the harm is directed at identifiable people whose likenesses are used without permission. Federal prosecutors made the same point in the May arrests, describing the conduct as an alleged crime involving privacy, dignity and reputational harm rather than a harmless form of synthetic media.
For now, the concrete result is the loss of 12 domains and the preservation of a channel for victims to report what happened. The Manhattan office says it will keep watching for attempts to restore the sites under new addresses.