A business owner in Houston is in police custody after he allegedly tried to impersonate a local internet influencer and created fake nude images of the woman.
Jorge “George” Abrego, who is a co-owner of HTX Tacitcal, has been charged with online impersonation and unlawful production of sexually explicit videos, according to KPRC 2 News in Houston.
Abrego allegedly created fake TikTok accounts impersonating a Houston-area influencer who has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and 90,000 on TikTok. He is accused of using a similar username with slight variations to dupe users, police records state.
The woman told the Houston County Sheriff’s Office that Abrego previously asked her out and told her he was “in love with her,” according to police records.
Investigators say that he admitted creating deepfakes of her. They allegedly found more than 50 fake nude images and videos depicting the woman on his cell phone.
They believe he used AI tools to create the digital media.
The victim said she is afraid for her life, has suffered financial losses and that the images have caused injury to her personal and professional reputation.
The woman told deputies that she has never posted nude images to the internet.
Investigators had to rely on several grand jury subpoenas to pull user data from the fake accounts, including cell phone and email subscriber information, as well as IP address details, to track down the individual spreading the images. Those efforts eventually led them to Abrego, according to deputies.
The HSCO said they have found no evidence suggesting there are other victims.
Under Texas law, sharing deepfake videos without the depicted individual’s consent is a class A misdemeanor.
“A person commits an offense if, without the effective consent of the person appearing to be depicted, the person knowingly produces or distributes by electronic means a deepfake video that appears to depict the person with the person’s intimate parts exposed or engaged in sexual conduct,” the law states.
After Abrego’s arrest, HTX Tactical co-owner, Javier Garcia, released a statement.
“We want to emphasize that these are allegations and Mr. Abrego is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. While this situation does not reflect the company’s values or its day-to-day operations, we take these allegations very seriously,” he wrote in the statement.
He said that the company was “carefully reviewing internal processes to ensure that our business remains focused on serving the needs of our customers and community.”