Man Claims Deepfakes Were 'Just a Hobby' in Court
By Editor • August 25, 2026 • 1 min read
Antonio Rotondo, facing serious allegations in a Brisbane court, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including 11 counts of stalking and five counts of distributing intimate images. The case revolves around accusations that he created and shared sexualized deepfake images of former high school students and staff, presenting these acts as a mere joke.
In a courtroom revelation, Crown prosecutor Ben Jackson described how, while living in the Philippines, Rotondo sent an email containing manipulated images to several recipients, including two private schools in Brisbane. The digital alterations were alarming; images of female students and staff were modified to either strip away clothing or replace it with provocative lingerie.
Furthermore, the jury heard that Rotondo also targeted models from Brisbane Fashion Week, sending similar altered images to a participant in the event. He allegedly uploaded 16 deepfake images to a personal website he managed.
During police interviews following his return to Australia in October 2023, Rotondo reportedly admitted to sending the images and acknowledged his control over the website. He described the act of creating deepfakes as a hobby, dismissing the potential harm by stating it was simply funny to him.
Source: www.abc.net.au
