Athletic director allegedly frames principal with AI-generated hate recording
Dazhon Darien, 31, was arrested Thursday on charges of stalking, theft, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness. (Baltimore County Government)
BALTIMORE - A Maryland high school athletic director was arrested after he allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to create racist and antisemitic audio in the voice of his boss, officials said Thursday.
Dazhon Darien, 31, an athletic director at Pikesville High School, allegedly made the recording to retaliate against his boss, Pikesville Principal Eric Eiswert, who was pursuing an investigation into Darien's potential mishandling of school funds, authorities said.
At a press conference on Thursday, Robert McCullough, chief of Baltimore County police, said that officials were first made aware of the voice recording on Jan. 17, and thoroughly investigated the allegations before sharing the information with the public.
"On January 17, 2024, the Baltimore County Police Department became aware of a voice recording being circulated on social media," McCullough said. "It was alleged the voice captured on the audio file belongs to Mr Eric Eiswert, the Principal at the Pikesville High School. We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic."
Authorities said that in their "extensive investigation," both the FBI and a forensic analyst with the University of California, Berkley, concluded that the audio recording was phony.
In the audio recording, that was first sent school-wide to teachers and faculty and then widely spread on social media, the AI-generated voice of Eiswert is heard ranting and raving about Black and Jewish families at the school.
"It should be noted that comments in the recording spoke to [Eiswert's] alleged frustrations with test scores of African American students and assertions that they [African American students] were unable to 'test their way out of a paper bag,'" charging documents, obtained by The Baltimore Banner said.
"The recording went on to make disparaging comments about Jewish individuals and two teachers who 'should have never been hired' at the school. The recording depicted a conversation between [Eiswert] and one of PHS' Assistant Principals," charging documents obtained by the local outlet said.
Authorities said that the audio had ramifications against Eiswert — who was on the receiving end of a "wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school."
"The audio clip had profound repercussions," police said. "It not only led to Eiswert’s temporary removal from the school but also triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school. The recording also caused significant disruptions for the PHS staff and students."
At the press conference Thursday, Baltimore County School Superintendent Myriam Rogers said that the administrative process to discipline Darien had begun, and the school was investigating other teachers who were involved in spreading the audio.
Darien faces several charges including theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness.
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Following a court appearance on Thursday, Darien was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
Baltimore County School and the Baltimore District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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