Former Pikesville High athletic director faces federal child pornography charges

BALTIMORE — Pikesville High's former athletic director Dazhon Darien now faces federal pornography charges.

This comes just as he was about to go to trial on state charges of allegedly framing the school's principal using AI.

According to court documents, Baltimore County Police officers executed a search warrant on Darien's home on March 7, 2024, and seized multiple electronic devices, including an Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max that was found in his bedroom.

The investigation revealed multiple Google accounts and Apple IDs that were owned by Darien.

Once granted a search warrant, authorities say they found files depicting teenage males of indeterminate ages engaged in sexually explicit conduct and a screenshot of a text message conversation which appeared to be indicative of coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Authorities identified the victim in the videos and pictures and interviewed him.

He told officials that he knew Darien through Snapchat and had his number saved in his phone.

The victim also said that he had been sending Darien 'content' since he was 15 years old and that he would pay for it via CashApp.

While going through the victim's phone, authorities found that Darien had paid the victim just three days before the victim was interviewed.

Records show that Darien paid the victim nine times from December 14, 2023, through March 23, 2024.

After combing through Darien's social media accounts, four more victims were identified.

Throughout the conversations with the minors, Darien would either ask for sex or for pictures and videos.

For the AI retaliation case, Darien was supposed to go on trial Tuesday.

There is no court date yet scheduled for this case.

We will continue to follow the case and will give updates when more information becomes available.

Editor's Note: We previously incorrectly reported that the federal charges had to do with the AI impersonation case. The details of that case can be found below.
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Dazhon Darien is accused of using Artificial Intelligence to create a hate-filled racist rant impersonating the voice of Eric Eiswert.

This caused a scandal within the Baltimore County Public School System leading to threats of violence against Eiswert, who was the principal of the school at the time.

Darien was hit with state charges last April.

Investigators believed Darien retaliated against Eiswert for not wanting to renew his contract based on the alleged mishandling of school funds.

Eiswert has since sued for defamation and negligence. His lawyers claim Darien should've never been hired in the first place because his resume contained a “myriad of lies and exaggerations."

While elected officials, activists, and countless people on social media criticized him over the phony allegations, Eiswert was removed from his position while the investigation played out.

"He was locked out of his email, cut off from colleagues, ostracized publicly, and Superintendent Rogers refused to inform the public that Mr. Eiswert did not make the comments depicted on the Fake Audio,” Eiswert’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. “Dr. Rogers only offered the tepid qualification that she could not 'confirm' the genuineness of the recording."

Despite previously admitting to "having issues" with Eiswert, and confessing to sending the fake recording from his work email to someone he "shouldn't have," Darien says he's innocent.

Eiswert, meanwhile, is still employed with BCPS as principal at Sparrows Point Middle School.