Patrick Carey sentenced to 6 months for "deepfaking" images of young women, putting them on porn site
MINEOLA, N.Y. -- There was an apology Tuesday from a young Long Island man after he created fake images of former classmates and shared them on a pornography site.
The troubling case has promoted Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly to draft new laws for so called "deepfaking" because they don't exist in New York.
Patrick Carey of Seaford addressed his victims in court, saying, "I don't expect forgiveness. I'm just sorry."
He apologized for committing severely harmful acts against former middle and high school classmates in Levittown.
FLASHBACK: Long Island man faces felony charges for posting "deepfake" images of former classmates on porn site
Arrested in 2021, Carey superimposed the faces of 14 girls onto images of sex acts, posted them online with their personal information and encouraged viewers to harass them -- a frighteningly simple process called deepfaking.
"There is no satisfaction. I just pray for the victims and hope they are able to go on with their lives," one parent said.
Parents and victims were in court. One young woman spoke for all when she told Carey, "I will never forgive you. I hear your name and I feel sick."
The judge said Carey's "truly despicable behavior" amounted to "mental violence," and then sentenced him to six months in jail, 10 years probation, and lifetime status as a sex offender.
"He didn't get enough. You know that," a parent said.
New York has no criminal statue addressing the act of manipulating an image to cause harm. Donnelly wants to change that. She has drafted three proposed laws to close a loophole and keep up with the dark side of technology.
"The proposed statue will finally address criminally the threat of deep-faked explicit material that are being weaponized against innocent New Yorkers," Donnelly said.
The district attorney hailed the young women who discovered the altered images of themselves online and went on a mission to find who was responsible.
"He underestimated their bravery, their resilience," she said. "These incredible women are not victims; today they are my heroes. I commend them for their courage and I thank them for coming forward."
The manipulated images have been removed from the pornographic website, but the da cautions, on the internet, anything can live online forever.
Carey pleaded guilty to multiple charges ranging from sexual performance to harassment and stalking. Stay-away orders were issued for the victims.
