By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
January 21, 2026
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is urging lawmakers to criminalize making false claims about the creation or distribution of artificial intelligence-generated pornography, saying in a social media video that his office was the “victim” of such claims in a highly-publicized scandal last year.
However, a former top Beckwith aide told The Indiana Citizen on Wednesday she is standing by her assertion that she saw two of the Republican lieutenant governor’s aides view a digitally altered topless video of a state representative’s wife while in Beckwith’s Statehouse offices.
“There’s no denying what I saw,” former Beckwith senior adviser Erin Sheridan said. “He should pursue that (legislation) and try to press charges against me — then, at the very least, we might be able to get to the bottom of it.”
Beckwith’s comments came Tuesday in a 20-minute long, “Ask Micah Anything” video posted to social media. In the video, Beckwith says he “wholeheartedly” supports two bipartisan bills aimed at criminalizing the creation and distribution of AI-generated pornography, while also arguing the legislation should be expanded to punish false accusations.
House Bill 1182 and House Bill 1183 seek to address the growing use of AI tools to create realistic sexual images that appear to depict real people. Lawmakers backing the measures say existing Indiana law does not adequately cover computer-generated sexual images that are not based on real photographs. The bills have not yet received committee hearings.
Beckwith said the legislation is necessary as AI-generated content becomes more common.
“In the new age of AI and the digital creation era, we are going to see more and more of these problems exist, and we need to do everything we can as a state to get a handle on it very quickly,” Beckwith said.
But the lieutenant governor also said he wants the bills amended to criminalize what he described as false claims about the creation or distribution of digital sexual images. He said his office had been unfairly targeted by allegations that he maintains were baseless.
“My office was a victim of that,” Beckwith said. “We were scrutinized, smeared. We were brought before all kinds of public media attention over lies that have no basis. There’s no proof that any of that ever happened in my office.”
Beckwith added that he believes people who knowingly make false accusations involving AI-generated sexual content should face criminal consequences, arguing that “bearing false witness is a really big deal in this era of digital AI creation.”
Those comments appear to reference allegations made last year by Sheridan, a longtime Republican staffer who was fired in July 2025. Sheridan has publicly described what she characterized as an unprofessional culture inside the lieutenant governor’s office, and a Marion County grand jury is investigating Beckwith’s office — a probe that includes the AI porn claims.
Sheridan has stood by her account and rejected Beckwith’s claims that the allegations were fabricated. She said she has not received updates regarding grand jury proceedings Beckwith has referenced publicly.
Sheridan said Wednesday that Beckwith should examine conduct within his own office, rather than deflecting blame.
“He needs to be concerned about his own circle,” Sheridan said.
She sharply criticized Beckwith’s rhetoric surrounding the allegations, calling his public responses “arrogant” and “disgusting,” and accusing him of attempting to discredit her rather than engage with the substance of her claims.
Beckwith has repeatedly denied Sheridan’s allegations and has said no evidence exists to substantiate them. He has repeatedly stated that no criminal wrongdoing occurred in his office.
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
