Was Judge Burns arrested? Viral video debunked

A viral Facebook video generated by artificial intelligence has led to confusion over whether Judge Michael Burns of the Nebraska County Court was arrested this month.

The post is shared by an account under the name “Myco Bigfoot” in which Burns is accused of being arrested for a “systematic dismissal of serious felony cases” and “letting major offenders go untried.” It also features doctored video of officers dragging a man, digitally manipulated to resemble Judge Burns.

"Watch the entitlement on his face as he yells, 'This is absurd!' It’s not absurd, Judge. It’s justice. For every victim who never got their day in court because of him, this video is the ultimate closure," the post added.

Judge Burns has not been arrested, nor criminally investigated nor implicated, it's simply implausible for someone in his position to actually be involved.

Not a single news organization, court record or any legitimate source has confirmed the allegations made in this video. The confusion seems to arise from a true, but unrelated event in 2023 involving Judge Burns.

Judge Burns' previous allegations of breaking the law

In 2023, a priest was accused of leaving a gas station without paying, and Burns, fearing it was simply a mishap, petitioned court staff to hold the charge and phoned the county attorney urging an investigation. He even contacted the priest.

The court said that despite Burns' possible good intentions, he improperly interfered in the case to the point where confusion was generated as to who had authority over his order. He received an official reprimand but was not suspended, charged or arrested.

The Nebraska Supreme Court stated that Burns had reported the incident himself, and had fully cooperated in this matter. There were no corruption or criminal findings to be found. He also had no disciplinary record.

The sharing of the video underscores a larger problem: the growing use of artificial intelligence tools to generate realistic, but ultimately fictitious, images and soundtracks of political figures as well as other people in sensitive contexts, such as giving testimony or committing crimes.

The same or similar tactics have recently been used against public officials, celebrities and political figures on social-media platforms, tilting toward what has become an increasingly formidable challenge for controlling misinformation.