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Ottawa Police Charge Two Men in AI-Generated Deepfake Case Involving Canadian Women
Ottawa police have charged two men with multiple counts of harassment, threats and distribution of non-consensual intimate images created using artificial intelligence. Court documents list up to 25 alleged victims whose social-media photos were allegedly altered into violent and sexual content.
May 29, 4:00 AM·1m read1 source
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Ottawa Police Service announced charges against two men after a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the alleged creation and distribution of AI-generated intimate images without consent. Stephen Lowe, 60, of Maitland, Nova Scotia, faces 79 charges including 25 counts each of harassment, uttering threats and publishing obscene material, plus four counts related to child sexual abuse material.
The charges cover the period from August 2020 to December 2025. Gregry Van Beek, 38, of West Nipissing, Ontario, faces seven charges including two counts of harassment, two counts of uttering threats and two counts of publishing intimate images without consent.
Both men remain in custody.
The investigation began after Ottawa police received a report of one woman depicted in harmful online content. Investigators later identified additional possible victims across Ontario, Nova Scotia and Nunavut. Documents before the court identify up to 25 alleged victims.
Police said the images were created by taking photos from social-media accounts and using artificial intelligence to generate realistic depictions of the women in violent and sexual scenes. Ten women interviewed by CBC News, aged 24 to 64, described anxiety in public, panic attacks and ongoing concern about additional images.
Some images included captions with what police told the women were area codes.
Canada currently has no specific law addressing deepfake imagery.
A bill that would criminalize such images is under consideration in Parliament. Emails from the RCMP indicate that known distribution profiles have been removed and one hosting website was taken offline, though CBC News confirmed the site later returned with updated moderation messaging.
