Lehi man arrested in ‘deep fakes’ child pornography investigation

LEHI, Utah — A Lehi man was arrested Tuesday and accused of making “deep fakes” of pornography that included the faces of children placed on adult bodies.

Jesse John Campbell, 44, was booked into the Utah County Jail by agents from the Internet Crimes Against Children task force for investigation of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual abuse of a minor and lewdness involving a child.

The investigation began in early November when a family member allegedly discovered a video on Campbell’s phone. The pornographic video included an adult woman’s body with the head of a teen girl superimposed on it, according to a police booking affidavit.

“According to witnesses, Jesse is known to use ‘deep fake’ software to alter videos. In the video regarding the victim in this investigation, Jesse used the child victim’s face and replaced it on another female’s body who is engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” the affidavit states.

On Tuesday, agents armed with a search warrant took Campbell into custody. When questioned, he admitted to creating at least 10 videos in which he placed a child’s face on adult pornography, according to the affidavit. An agent who viewed one of the videos noted, “The video manufactured by Jesse is very realistic.”

During his interview with investigators, Campbell also claimed he had exposed himself to a juvenile, the affidavit alleges.