The individual who shared deepfake pornographic images of a well-known Australian figure has been heavily fined in the initial legal case for sending a “strong message.”

On Friday, a federal court mandated that Anthony Rotondo, also known as Antonio, pay a penalty of $343,500 along with legal costs after the online regulator, Esafiti Commissioner, filed a lawsuit against him nearly two years ago.

Rotondo was responsible for posting the images on a website named Mrdeepfakes.com.

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Regulators maintained that substantial civil penalties were essential to underscore the severity of violations against online safety laws and the harm inflicted upon women who are victims of image-based abuse.

“This action sends a strong message regarding the repercussions for individuals who engage in image-based abuse through deepfakes,” the watchdog stated late Friday.

“Esafety is profoundly concerned about the creation and distribution of non-consensual explicit deepfake images, as these can lead to significant psychological and emotional distress.”

Commissioner Julie Inman Grant filed a case against Rotondo in federal court in 2023 due to his non-compliance with a deletion notice, which was ineffective as he is not an Australian resident.

“If you believe you’re in the right, I’ll secure an arrest warrant,” he said.

Following the court’s order for Rotondo to remove the images and refrain from sharing them, he sent them via email to 50 addresses, including the Esafety Commissioner and various media outlets.

Commissioners initiated federal court proceedings shortly after police ascertained that Rotondo had traveled from the Philippines to the Gold Coast.

He eventually acknowledged his actions as trivial.

The images were removed after Rotondo voluntarily provided passwords and necessary details to the Commissioner’s officers.