New York City Council candidate is accused of forgery over AI-generated posts
Source: AP
By GENE JOHNSON
Updated 9:41 PM CDT, June 24, 2026
A former New York City Council candidate has been charged with forgery over allegations he used artificial intelligence to post fake endorsements and news articles on social media.
Jonathan Rinaldi was arrested outside his home Wednesday and could face up to two years in prison if convicted. The 47-year-old ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a council seat from Queens last year.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not generally protect fraudulent statements, but in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Rinaldi called it a matter of free-speech. He said he would not confirm or deny that he made the posts or generated the images at issue.
“I got arrested for social media posts,” Rinaldi said. “This is an issue that strikes at the heart of our First Amendment freedoms — not just for me, but for everybody.”
Jonathan Rinaldi poses for a self-portrait in this 2025 photo outside his home in the Queens borough of New York. (Jonathan Rinaldi via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/rinaldi-ai-gemini-facebook-meta-new-york-995585d736361c976611f8846db171a2