A former New York City Council candidate, Jonathan Rinaldi, has been charged with forgery for allegedly using artificial intelligence to generate fake endorsements and news articles on social media during his campaign. Rinaldi, 47, ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a council seat in Queens last year.
Prosecutors allege that Rinaldi created and posted fabricated content, including a false endorsement from the Queens Jewish Alliance using its authentic logo and an endorsement sheet. He also is accused of fabricating a New York Post story claiming an endorsement from then-Council Member Robert Holden, accompanied by a doctored photo generated by an AI platform with the prompt "face swap the man on the left."
In a statement, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, "In today’s world it is important to hold people accountable for materially misrepresenting facts. As alleged, the defendant used AI to replace factual political support and launched fabricated attacks against his opponent as fact in a deliberate effort to mislead voters ahead of a City Council election."
Rinaldi was arrested outside his home on Wednesday and could face up to two years in prison if convicted. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Rinaldi referred to the charges as a free speech issue, stating, "I got arrested for social media posts. This is an issue that strikes at the heart of our First Amendment freedoms — not just for me, but for everybody." He declined to confirm or deny making the posts or generating the images.
The Queens Jewish Alliance confronted Rinaldi about the alleged fake endorsement in a recorded phone call, to which he responded, "When you are trying to fight against the establishment, I have to use every available tool that’s at my disposal."
The charges filed against Rinaldi include third-degree forgery and possession of forged instruments. These laws predate the advent of AI, defining forgery as falsely making, completing, or altering a "written instrument" with the intent to defraud, deceive, or injure another. Under New York law, a "written instrument" includes online writings conveying information.
Further accusations include Rinaldi using AI to generate doctored photos of his Democratic opponent, Lynn Schulman, appearing to wear a shirt with the slogan "Hot Girls for Zohran." This was allegedly intended to harm her support in a largely Jewish neighborhood, referencing the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Additionally, Rinaldi is accused of posting AI-generated videos that appeared to show endorsements from a police precinct and an elementary school, public institutions that do not permit political endorsements. Rinaldi also recently ran in the Democratic primary for state Assembly, where he was defeated by incumbent Andrew Hevesi, whom he had previously accused of submitting fraudulent documents to alter his party registration.
The proliferation of AI-generated content presents challenges for lawmakers seeking to address realistic but fake imagery, including deepfake pornography and other forms of fraud. More than half of U.S. states have enacted regulations concerning AI in elections, with many mandating disclosures and some establishing criminal penalties. New York enacted a law in 2024 requiring disclosure of deepfakes in campaign materials and enabling targeted candidates to seek court injunctions against their dissemination.