The Pulse
New Jersey Deputy AG Charged in Bucks County AI Abuse-Material Case
Brian Richard Fitzgerald, a New Jersey deputy attorney general, faces three felony charges in Pennsylvania over allegations involving AI-generated and other child sexual abuse material. Bucks County prosecutors say a Discord tip led investi
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Bucks County prosecutors say a New Jersey deputy attorney general used artificial intelligence to create and share child sexual abuse material; New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office says it is cooperating with the investigation and taking employment action. Brian Richard Fitzgerald, 51, was arrested and arraigned on October 15 in Pennsylvania, where he lives. The charges are allegations, and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office says defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
A Discord tip led investigators to Fitzgerald
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children forwarded a CyberTip about a Discord user who shared an illicit image on July 10, 2026. Digital-forensics work and subscriber records linked the account and associated internet addresses to Fitzgerald’s residence in Lower Makefield Township. The county detectives worked with Lower Makefield Township police on the case.
Investigators searched Fitzgerald’s home on October 15 and recovered prompts and scripts that prosecutors say were used to generate the material with an AI program. The district attorney’s announcement also says investigators found Discord chat logs in which Fitzgerald admitted making multiple illicit images with AI and sharing them with other users. The office separately alleges that he obtained and shared child sexual abuse material depicting real children through another social media platform.
Three felony counts and $2 million bail
Fitzgerald faces felony charges of possessing child sexual abuse material, disseminating photos or film of child sexual abuse material, and criminal use of a communication facility. Magisterial District Judge Corryn L. Kronnagel set bail at $2 million, with 10 percent available for release, and remanded him to Bucks County Correctional Facility. The district attorney’s office said a preliminary hearing was scheduled for later in October.
District Attorney Joe Khan framed the case as a matter of equal accountability, saying, “No one is above the law, least of all someone entrusted with upholding it.” He added that his office would pursue the cases regardless of the accused person’s profession or title. Fitzgerald’s position as a deputy attorney general in New Jersey gives the arrest a direct connection to another state’s law-enforcement system, but the Pennsylvania charges remain unproven allegations.
New Jersey says it is taking employment action
A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said the office was aware of the charges against an employee of its Division of Law and was cooperating with Bucks County prosecutors. The spokeswoman also said the office was taking “appropriate action with respect to his employment.” The statement did not specify what employment action had been taken.
The case now proceeds in Bucks County, where the preliminary hearing is expected later this month. Prosecutors’ public account identifies the July CyberTip, the October search and the evidence they say they recovered; the court process will determine whether the charges are proved.