Tag: minors

BEVERLY HILLS—Five eighth grade students from Beverly Vista Middle School, located at 200 S. Elm Drive, have been expelled for their involvement in the creation and online distribution of AI-generated nudes of peers. At a meeting on Wednesday, March 6, the Beverly Hills Unified School District board of education approved stipulated agreements of expulsion. The five students and their parents did not contest the punishment and no hearing was held. 

According to a message sent by district and school administrators to parents and staff, students brought the images to the attention of school officials on Wednesday, February 21, who later notified the Beverly Hills Police Department. BHPD began conducting an investigation into “the creation and dissemination by other students of artificial intelligence generated (AI) images that superimposed the faces of [Beverly Vista Middle School] students onto AI-generated nude bodies,” the message said. 16 eighth-grade students were reportedly targeted in the scandal. 

By Monday, February 26, the school’s principal, Kelly Skon, reportedly met with most students from the sixth to eighth grades to discuss a number of issues raised by the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported. Principal Skon reportedly asked students to reflect on how you use social media and “don’t be afraid to leave any situation that does not align with your values,” and to “make sure your social media accounts are private and you do not have people you do not know following your accounts.”

Superintendent of Beverly Hills School District, Dr. Michael Bregy, told NBC that the misuse of this kind of technology has occurred within a number of school districts. Schools in New Jersey and Washington state have reportedly faced similar issues with AI-generated fake nudes. 

Lawmakers in New Jersey are seeking to pass legislation to ban the material, and a bill has been introduced in Washington D.C. seeking to protect “national security against the threats posed by deepfake technology and to provide legal recourse to victims of harmful deepfakes.” 

“It’s uncharted territory and we want to ensure that this isn’t something that continues,” Dr. Bregy told NBC. In a message sent to parents Thursday evening, March 7, Dr. Bregy said, “This incident has spurred crucial discussions on the ethical use of technology, including AI, underscoring the importance of vigilant and informed engagement within digital environments. In response, our district is steadfast in its commitment to enhancing education around digital citizenship, privacy, and safety for our students, staff, and parents which was immediately reemphasized at all schools following the incident,” the Los Angeles Times reported. 

Numerous “deepfake” apps have emerged in recent years, making it easy to create sophisticated fake nude and fake pornographic content. Major social media platforms and search engines allow them to be easily searchable and shared. Women, including Grammy award-winning artist, Taylor Swift, and actress, Jenna Ortega, have been victimized in fake nude scandals since.   

No criminal charges have reportedly been brought in this incident and the BHPD investigation remains ongoing. However, no laws yet exist within California that criminalize fake photos impersonating real people. Due to the suspects being minors, the identities of the five students will remain confidential. The technology used to create the fake nudes in this particular incident has not been disclosed. 

By Lacy

SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department revealed that detectives conducted a Minor Decoy Operation on August 9. During the operation, a minor who was supervised by department agents tried to buy alcohol from 6 retailers in Santa Monica. Clerks at PAVILIONS, located at 820 Lincoln Blvd., and CVS located at 500 Wilshire Blvd. were cited for selling alcohol to a minor.

As a result, individuals will face a minimum fine of $250, and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first time violation. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Department (ABC) will take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to a minor. This includes a fine, a suspension of the license, or the permanent revocation of the license.

According to a press release, ABC is conducting the compliance checks statewide to decrease the availability of alcohol to minors. Stats have details individuals under 21 have a higher rate of drunken driving fatalities than the general adult population.

“Minor Decoy operations hold accountable those who sell alcohol to minors,” said ABC Director Eric Hirata. “Keeping alcohol away from youth is a priority.”

Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement in California since the 1980s, where the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 40 to 50 percent. When conducted on a routine basis, the rate dropped in some cities as low as 10 percent or lower. In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.

Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

ABC encourages licensees to sign up for ABC’s Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs (LEAD) training free of charge. Licensees and their employees can take the training course online or in-person during a classroom setting.

To learn more about ABC enforcement and prevention programs that help increase public safety visit: Enforcement programs and Prevention programs. ABC is a Department of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

By Trevor

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—The Los Angeles Police Department announced on Monday, May 15 that they were made aware of the criminal case involving former Police Officer Paul Razo, 47, who has been charged with eight counts of lewd acts with a child on May 5, by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division initiated an administrative investigation, which is being conducted simultaneously with the pending criminal case. The administrative investigation will include reviewing his past work history for similar behavior.

“Chief Michel Moore is deeply disturbed by these allegations as they are in direct opposition to the Department’s Core Values and expectations of a Los Angeles Police Officer,” the LAPD indicated in a statement.

Officer Razo has been employed by the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years and was last assigned to Hollywood Area as a training coordinator. He separated from the LAPD in March 2023. He sexually assaulted four boys at his Covina home.

“The allegations of sexual abuse against vulnerable children in this case are deeply disturbing and it’s particularly troubling that the defendant was a law enforcement officer at the time,” said District Attorney Gascón.

Childhood sexual abuse causes immeasurable harm and our hearts go out to the victims who were victimized by someone they trusted. We will do everything in our power to ensure that they have access to the support and resources they need to heal. Sexual abuse of any kind is a heinous crime and we will not tolerate it in our community.”

The defendant is accused of sexually assaulting two of his young male relatives. One of the victims was about 11 or 12 years old when Razo allegedly began the abuse, while the other victim was around 13.

The other two victims were sons of a woman Razo had been dating and they often reportedly spent the night at his home. One of the boys was 9 or 10 years old when Razo is accused of sexually assaulting him, while the victim’s brother was 12 years old.

The alleged crimes occurred during various times between 2006 and 2017.

The LAPD is cooperating with the LADA’s Office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation relating to Razo’s alleged criminal conduct.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Special Victims Bureau toll-free tip line at (877) 710-5273 or at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.

To remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or http://lacrimestoppers.org.