Australian Man Jailed for Using AI to Create Fake Nude Images of Schoolgirls and Women
A Brisbane court sentenced Antonio Rotondo, 56, to two years in prison after a jury found him guilty of stalking, distributing intimate images, and producing child exploitation material using AI-generated deepfakes.
Key points
- A jury found him guilty of 11 counts of stalking, five counts of distributing intimate images, and one count of distributing child exploitation material.
- Rotondo used an AI deepfake program to alter real photographs of women and girls, adding nudity or sexualised content without their knowledge or consent.
- One victim was 13 years old at the time; her mother now carries the burden of deciding how and when to tell her daughter what happened.
- Victims described lasting psychological harm, with many still affected by the offending at the time of sentencing.
A former software developer in Brisbane has been jailed for using an artificial intelligence program to turn ordinary photographs into fake sexual images, then emailing them to schools and a fashion event organiser.
Antonio Rotondo, 56, was found guilty on Tuesday, 2 September 2026, following a six-day trial in Brisbane District Court. Judge John Allen sentenced him the following day.
What exactly did Rotondo do?
Rotondo downloaded publicly available photos of female staff, students and models, then ran them through an AI deepfake tool. A deepfake program uses artificial intelligence to replace or alter elements of a real image; here it added nudity or sexualised content to pictures of real, identifiable people.
He emailed the modified images to administrators at multiple schools and to organisers of a fashion show, all in September 2023. At least one image involved a 13-year-old girl, which triggered the child exploitation material charge.
Rotondo represented himself at trial and pleaded not guilty. At sentencing he argued he should face only two charges because he sent only two emails, and claimed his conduct wasn't criminal at the time. Judge Allen rejected both arguments, pointing to Rotondo's "clear lack of remorse and insight" as a reason to consider stronger deterrence.
We first covered Rotondo's case on 28 August 2026, when he told police that stripping women's clothes digitally was "like X-ray vision glasses".
| Charge | Number of counts | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Stalking | 11 | Guilty |
| Distributing intimate images | 5 | Guilty |
| Distributing child exploitation material | 1 | Guilty |
| Total sentence | 2 years' imprisonment | Handed down 3 Sep 2026 |
What did victims say?
The harm hasn't stopped. In victim impact statements read aloud in court, women described humiliation and violated privacy, and spoke of the cost of psychological counselling. Several said their families had been affected too.
One victim said she didn't blame the technology itself, only the people who misuse it. "I do not want to be afraid of photography or sharing photographs," she told the court. Another said: "What frightens me is knowing that an ordinary photograph can be taken out of my control and transformed into sexual material without my consent."
The mother of the 13-year-old told the court her daughter hasn't seen the image. She now carries the weight of keeping that secret while working out how and when to tell her.
Judge Allen acknowledged the images fell short of the most extreme material sometimes seen in such cases, but found the ongoing harm to victims was plain.
Should you worry about your own photos?
This case shows that a normal photo shared publicly online can be misused with tools that are cheap and easy to find. You don't need to have done anything wrong to become a target. Our earlier piece on AI nudify apps and back-to-school risk from 23 August 2026 is worth reading alongside this verdict.
If you discover that intimate images have been created or shared without your consent, Australian state police and the eSafety Commissioner can help with removal requests. Document what you find without viewing it repeatedly, and get legal advice early.
