Queens State Assembly Candidate (D) Charged With Forgery for A.I. Use

A Queens political candidate was charged on Wednesday after using artificial intelligence to create fake news articles and false endorsements to bolster his campaign, in what is believed to be the first such criminal case to be brought against a politician in New York, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged the candidate, Jonathan Rinaldi, 47, who lost his bid for state assembly this week, with three counts of forgery and 15 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument for creating and posting falsified materials on social media. The charges relate to activities that occurred last year during his unsuccessful campaign for City Council.

Mr. Rinaldi did this to “advance the selfish goal of winning a City Council seat by any means,” Leann Staines, a prosecutor for the Queens district attorney’s office, said during his arraignment on Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court.

“All of this was coldly calculated to defraud Queens voters” and his political rivals, she added.


https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/queens-politician-ai-charge.html