United States Seizes Domain Names Publishing Nude Digital Forgeries of Famous Women

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Press Release
“These domain seizures mark a significant victory in the fight against deepfake pornography,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The TAKE IT DOWN Act, championed by First Lady Melania Trump, gives us the tools we need to combat the abuse and exploitation of women and children through these fabricated images. The Department of Justice will vigorously enforce this law and deliver justice for victims.”
“These groundbreaking seizures are a massive win against deepfake pornography,” said U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “The TAKE IT DOWN Act was a priority for First Lady Melania Trump to stop the abuse and exploitation of women and children. This is the first of many wins to stop these deepfake pornographic websites.”
The website was brought to the attention of U.S. law enforcement by Italy’s Polizia di Stato -Postal and Cybersecurity Police. The United States investigated and developed evidence that it was able to share with French authorities through use of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, Cybercrime Section (J3) and French gendarmerie (Section de recherches de Paris) then conducted their own parallel investigation, resulting in an arrest on June 10 in Nice, France on French criminal charges along with seizures of cryptocurrency.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Jersey Field Office is leading the investigation, with assistance provided by HSI Rome, the DHS Cybercrime Lab, and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Office of International Affairs.
Deputy Chief for Computer Crime Michael “Mick” Stawasz and Trial Attorney Vasantha Rao of the Criminal Division’s CCIPS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the District of New Jersey and Benjamin Levin, Chief of the Cybercrime Unit for the District of New Jersey are handling the litigation.
Significant assistance in this investigation was provided by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section. The United States also thanks France and Italy for their coordination in this matter.