AI deepfake nudes case; man accused bound over for trial
Kevin Scholz
MILWAUKEE COUNTY - Kevin Scholz, the former police officer and now ex-member of the Governor's Autism Council accused of creating a deepfake nude image of an ex-girlfriend, was bound over for trial on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
He is due back in court on Nov. 21 for a scheduling conference.
Case details
The backstory:
Prosecutors say 45-year-old Kevin Scholz digitally undressed the woman using an AI app in May, then sent the doctored image to her. The woman, an elected official, asked not to be identified publicly.
Scholz resigned from the Town of Norway Police Department in 2017 while under investigation for misconduct. He has also held positions on multiple autism boards and councils. He is an adult on the autism spectrum.
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According to the criminal complaint, after Scholz’s brief relationship with the woman ended in 2022, he began sending her nonstop texts, including racial slurs. Investigators say he later found a fully clothed photo of her at a Milwaukee Bucks game, altered it with artificial intelligence to remove her clothing, and then texted the image back to her.
Assistant District Attorney Erin Karshen is prosecuting the case. She previously told FOX6 Investigators that deepfake nudes present a legal challenge.
Her charge against Scholz relies on a novel legal theory that Wisconsin’s statute prohibiting the "capture" of intimate images also applies to digitally creating them.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.