On April 8, Stephen Kamnik, a 39-year-old Pennsylvania state trooper, pled guilty to a total of 15 charges related to possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and using state law enforcement computers to create AI-generated pornographic images of adult women. This manipulation of innocent photos into sexually explicit content is called “deepfake pornography.” His felony convictions include four counts of unlawful use of computer, sexual abuse of children, receiving stolen property, unlawful duplication, interception, disclosure or use of wire, electronic or oral communications, and criminal trespass. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy, official oppression, tampering with evidence, misapplication of entrusted property, and unlawful use of an audio or video device in court.
Kamnik is currently suspended from his employment without pay. He is being held in Montgomery County Jail without bail and is awaiting his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for July 8. Kamnikfaces a lengthy prison sentence and at least 15 years of registration as a sex offender.
According to Attorney General Dave Sunday, Kamnik obtained photos of Pennsylvania women through secured law enforcement databases and by secretly filming and photographing numerous women, including while on duty. He recorded coworkers, women in locker rooms at Montgomery and Delaware County state police barracks, and even visitors to his home from under a dining room table. Kamnik then used his state computer to create deepfakes from the photos and videos of his victims. Additionally, Kamnik altered an unlawfully recorded video of a Montogomery County magisterial district judge during a court proceeding for lewd purposes. In total, law enforcement found more than 10,000 sexually explicit images on Kamnik’s state computer. Authorities also found a stolen gun while searching Kamnik’s vehicle.
In addition to his criminal convictions, Kamnik is being sued by a victim who claims that he used her image for deepfakes. The victim also claims that Pennsylvania state police were aware of prior incidents in which Kamnik abused his position as a state trooper but did not take disciplinary action. Her complaint also alleges that Kamnik conducted traffic stops of female motorists and requested they stick out their tongues while he secretly filmed them.
This case demonstrates the immense harm that can result when two powerful tools – emerging technology and a law enforcement badge – are combined for the purpose of sexually exploiting women. Kamnikfirst leveraged his position as a law enforcement officer and exploited government databases, workplace access, and the public trust to obtain photos and videos without his victims’ knowledge or consent. His position as a state trooper is particularly unsettling because he is entrusted to enforce the law and protect the public from harm.
After abusing his position of power to obtain photos and videos, Kamnik used generative AI to create deepfakes. Although the creation of deepfakes does not involve physical contact, it is deeply violating and can inflict severe psychological harm upon victims who discover sexual images of themselves that they were not aware existed in the first place. Because deepfakes are so realistic, it can cause severe reputational damage to victims whose photos were transformed into images or videos depicting them engaging in sexual acts that never actually occurred. In addition to the emotional and psychological harmit can impose on victims, deepfakes can also have serious practical consequences, including damage to personal and professional relationships and the inability to retain employment. Kamnik’s actions likely caused profound harm to his victims and undermined public trust in law enforcement. Law enforcement officers have a duty to keep the public safe, and it is imperative that we hold them to the highest standards.
The CSE Institute commends the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for its successful prosecution of Stephen Kamnik. Cases like this make it clear that perpetrators must be held accountable, regardless of their position of authority.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or Villanova University.