GAITHERSBURG, Md. (DC News Now) — A 27-year-old woman was arrested on Oct. 10 for allegedly using artificial intelligence to falsely report a home invasion, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Police said that on Oct. 8 at 10:24 a.m., officers responded to a reported burglary at a home in the 5000 block of McGrath Boulevard in North Bethesda after a man reported that his wife had sent him a photo of an unknown man inside their house.
The photo showed a man lying on the couch, covered by a blanket, and the wife claimed he had forced his way inside when she answered the door. In response, eight police cruisers were dispatched to the scene, interrupting daytime traffic to speed to the home.
Police said officers and the husband arrived to find the woman sitting on the couch with a cellphone on a tripod aimed towards the front door, and the woman admitted to sending an artificially generated image to her husband as a prank.
The woman, 27-year-old Moesha Gardener, was arrested and charged with making a false statement concerning an emergency/crime and providing a false statement to a state official.
She was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where she was later released on a $10,000 unsecured personal bond.
Police issued a statement regarding the arrest that reads, “Calling 9-1-1 to report a false crime is illegal. So-called ‘swatting’ calls, false reports made to trigger a large police response, waste valuable emergency resources, and can put lives at risk. These actions carry serious legal consequences.”