Did a state trooper really use official databases to craft disturbing digital fakes?

SUMMARY — A Pennsylvania State Police corporal, Stephen Kamnik, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2026, to 15 charges including unlawful use of computers to create thousands of AI-generated deepfake porn images (over 3,000) using driver's license photos from PennDOT databases, mugshots, and secretly recorded images of coworkers and others; he also admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material, a stolen gun, invading privacy by filming women and rifling through underwear, and other felonies.[1][2][3]

FACT CHECK — All major claims are supported by the official Pennsylvania Attorney General press release, Philadelphia Inquirer reporting (both initial 2025 charges and 2026 plea coverage), and multiple outlets like CBS, ABC27, and Fox29; specifics like 3,000+ deepfakes from driver's license/PennDOT photos, state databases (JNET), judge video, CSAM, stolen gun, underwear incidents, 2024 bandwidth investigation trigger, and 9 felonies/6 misdemeanors match across sources with no contradictions.[1][4][3][2] Nothing misleading; AG press release confirms misuse of databases and AI tools at barracks, though it doesn't specify exact deepfake count (earlier affidavits via Inquirer do).[5]

CREDIBILITY — 10/10. Ars Technica accurately synthesizes primary sources including the AG's official announcement and Inquirer details without fabrication or exaggeration, published same-day (April 9, 2026) on a breaking, well-corroborated story.[2][1]

BIAS — CENTER. Factual tech-policy reporting on a crime story with no ideological slant, relying on official statements and court records.[2]

VERDICT — The article is fully accurate and verified by official sources.