Man sentenced in Australia over sexualized deepfakes of women and girls
Australian Antonio Rotondo was sentenced to two years in prison for creating and distributing sexualized deepfakes depicting women and girls from Brisbane. The decision was made by the Brisbane District Court, ABC News Australia reports.
17 offences
On Tuesday, a jury found the 56-year-old Rotondo guilty of 17 offences. They included five counts of distributing intimate images, one count of distributing child sexual exploitation material, and 11 counts of stalking.
In 2023, the man digitally altered photographs of several women and girls found on publicly accessible websites, creating images in which they were fully or partially nude. He sent these materials to the email address of the administration of a private school in Brisbane and to other recipients. The photographs depicted current and former students and female staff members of the institution.
Rotondo also created similar images of women who took part in Brisbane Fashion Week. Some of the deepfakes were uploaded to a website he controlled.
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Victim statements and the court's position
The court considered seven victim impact statements. One woman said she felt humiliated and helpless and had lost her sense of dignity and control over her own image. The mother of a 13-year-old girl who was also targeted said she had not yet told her daughter what had happened.
Rotondo represented himself and argued that he should not have been convicted of all 17 offences. Prosecutor Ben Jackson said his prospects for rehabilitation were concerning because of his lack of remorse.
Judge John Allen said Rotondo did not understand the seriousness of his actions, had no empathy for the victims and had shown no remorse. According to the judge, the consequences for the women and girls were profound and long-lasting.
Rotondo has already served the two-year sentence imposed. He was granted immediate parole eligibility, but will remain in custody in connection with other cases.
