New York City Council Candidate Is Accused of Forgery Over AI-Generated Posts
New York City Council Candidate Is Accused of Forgery Over AI-Generated Posts
Publish Date: 2026-06-24 22:58:00
Source Domain: www.usnews.com
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.”
Among the false posts he’s accused of having made — primarily on Facebook and Instagram — was one claiming an endorsement from the Queens Jewish Alliance. Prosecutors say the post used the authentic logo of the organization as well as a legitimate-looking endorsement sheet.
The complaint says the head of the Queens Jewish Alliance confronted him in a recorded phone call, and Rinaldi responded, “When you are trying to fight against the establishment, I have to use every available tool that’s at my disposal.”
In another post, Rinaldi fabricated a New York Post story claiming that then-Council Member Robert Holden, a Democrat, had crossed the aisle to endorse him, the Queens district attorney said.
According to the charges, the fake story was accompanied by a doctored photo that appeared to show Holden shaking his hand — an image that Rinaldi prompted an AI platform to generate: “face swap the man on the left.”
“just change the face the head is ok they are both bald just change the face,” the prompt read, according to the charges.
“In today’s world it is important to hold people accountable for…
