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An audio recording surfaced on social media in January of what sounded like a principal at Pikesville High School in Maryland making racist and antisemitic comments. However, the recording was made using artificial intelligence tools. (WJZ)
In early January, a voice recording of what sounded like a principal at a Baltimore County, Maryland, high school making racist and antisemitic statements went viral on social media.
“Ungrateful” Black students couldn’t “test their way out of a paper bag,” Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert supposedly said in the secretly-recorded audio. He also allegedly said, “If I have to get one more complaint for one more Jew, I’m going to join the other side.”
But it turns out the recording was fake and created using artificial intelligence programs. Cops allege the athletic director at the school, 31-year-old Dazhon Darien, manufactured the recording to retaliate against Eiswert for opening an investigation into Darien’s misuse of school funds. Darien is facing charges of theft, disturbing school operations, retaliating against a witness and stalking.
The recording wreaked havoc on the school and disrupted normal operations, Baltimore County Police said in a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime. Administrators suspended Eiswert and brought in interim principals. The school was inundated with angry phone calls causing security to be increased on campus. Staff, fearing there were secret recording devices in the school, took their sensitive phone calls in their cars. There was trust lost between administrators and staff, the affidavit said.
Cops arrested Darien on Thursday morning at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport for a violation of a declared gun he had in his luggage, said Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough. Airport officials realized Darien had a warrant for his arrest and took him into custody. McCullough said it’s not clear whether Darien was trying to flee his arrest.
“Today, we are relieved to have some closure on the origins of this audio,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said Thursday at a press conference. “However, it is clear we are entering a new, deeply concerning frontier. As we continue to embrace emerging technology and its potential for innovation and social good, we must also remain vigilant against those who abuse it for malicious intent. That will require us to be more aware and more discerning about the audio we hear and the images we see. We will need to be careful about our judgment.”
Baltimore County Police began investigating on Jan. 17. In an interview with detectives, Eiswert denied making the statements and said he believed the recording was AI-generated. Eiswert also suspected Darien as the culprit.
Investigators learned the audio clip came between 9:47 p.m. and 9:57 p.m. via email from [email protected]. The email went to Darien and two other school staff members, who were close to him, the affidavit said. Within 30 minutes the clip already was making the rounds on social media, detectives said. Cops interviewed the other recipients of the email. The staff member, who’s name is redacted from the affidavit, spoke with detectives but never mentioned Darien by name or about his involvement. When confronted with this fact, she became “tearful” and said she did not know why she did not mention his name, the affidavit said.
She also allegedly said she had a “difficult time” working with Eiswert. The staff member said she sent the recording to a student whom she knew would spread it on social media and forwarded it to news media outlets.
Though Darien had only been the school’s athletic director since July 2023, he had several “work-related challenges,” detectives noted. Eiswert allegedly reprimanded Darien after he fired a longtime coach without approval. Darien also was upset that Eiswert assigned other administrators to oversee him. Investigators learned that in December, Eiswert opened an internal investigation for misappropriated funds. Darien allegedly authorized the use of school funds to pay his roommate and junior varsity coach nearly $2,000 for being an assistant soccer coach despite him never doing the job.
Darien denied any involvement in making the recording to detectives. He claimed he did not know the email address where the recording came from. But a search of the IP address traced back to a home in Los Angeles that belongs to Darien’s grandmother, the affidavit said. The phone number allegedly associated with the account was Darien’s. Investigators also found that on Dec. 18 and 19 and on Jan. 15 Darien made searches on the Baltimore schools network for OpenAI tools, the affidavit said.
In addition, two AI experts told detectives they believed the recording was made by using unknown AI programs, according to the affidavit.
Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers said at the press conference that Darien’s arrest has sparked an inquiry that could lead to his firing. The district will also investigate any of Darien’s alleged co-conspirators. Rogers said the interim principals at Pikesville High will remain in place for the rest of the school year. Officials will discuss Eiswert’s future role with the district after the school year ends, she said.
Cops took Darien to jail following his arrest at the airport, and he posted $5,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for June 11.
