Former School Athletic Director Sentenced to Four Months in Prison for Racist Deep Fark Recordings

The former athletic director, charged with using artificial intelligence to generate racist and anti-Semitic audio clips, also allegedly impersonated the school’s principal, as indicated by prosecutors.

Dazon Darien, 32, the former director, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and a disturbing charge related to school activities, according to the Baltimore County State Law Office. He previously faced additional allegations including theft, stalking, and witness retaliation.

As reported by the Associated Press, Darien pleaded guilty to charges of intrusive school management while maintaining innocence under an Alford plea.

Darien, who previously served as athletic director at Pikesville High School, produced an audio clip containing derogatory comments about “ungrateful black kids” and light jabs at Jewish students. Police records revealed that the audio aimed to discredit the school principal, Eric Eiswart.

In a statement of fact, Eiswart mentioned having “discussions” with Darien regarding his contract renewal, citing “poor performance, inadequate procedures, and reluctance to follow the chain of command” as concerns. Darien’s troubles began in late 2023, which led to the audio’s release, according to the statement.

The attorneys representing Darien did not return calls or messages on Tuesday. The Baltimore County Public Schools District declined to comment on the situation, and attempts to reach Mr. Eiswart on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Following his sentencing, Darien was returned to federal custody to address additional charges related to the exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.

Manufactured recordings shared on Instagram in January 2024 quickly circulated, impacting Baltimore County Public Schools, which serves over 100,000 students. Eiswart, who withheld comment during the investigation, has received multiple threats to his safety, according to police. He has also been placed on administrative leave by the school district.

Police records indicated that Darien expressed dissatisfaction with Eiswart in December after the principal initiated an investigation into him. It was revealed that Darien had allowed roommates to pay the district $1,916, falsely claiming the roommate was an assistant coach for the Pikesville Girls’ soccer team.

Shortly thereafter, police reported that Darien utilized the district’s internet services to explore artificial intelligence tools, including OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT chatbots, and Microsoft’s Bing Chat.

(The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023 for copyright infringement concerning news content related to AI systems.)

Creating realistic, manufactured videos, often referred to as deepfakes, has become increasingly simple. Previously, one required sophisticated software, but now many of these tools are available through smartphone apps, raising concerns among AI researchers regarding the potential dangers posed by this technology.