A senior aide to Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Defense Secretary, faced judicial reprimand after court filings contained fabricated legal citations. Tim Parlatore, a trial lawyer within Hegseth’s close team, was warned by a federal judge in New York for citing at least three cases with inaccurate or nonexistent quotations in documents related to a high-profile money laundering defense.
The judge overseeing the matter, Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York, highlighted instances where Parlatore referenced case law for content that the cited cases do not actually contain. While Marrero acknowledged the errors appeared unintentional and attributed them to rushed drafting, he cautioned that repeated inaccuracies could lead to sanctions.
Prosecutors, led by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, suggested that Parlatore’s reliance on artificial intelligence tools might have contributed to the fabricated citations. They argued that some quotes appeared entirely invented, while others were misapplied or taken out of context. Clayton noted one purported citation from a 1994 case was likely a product of AI “hallucination” rather than genuine case law.
Parlatore was acting as legal counsel for Le Van Hung, a Vietnamese national accused of laundering $67 million through fraudulent use of stolen personal data from U.S. citizens. Hung pleaded guilty on June 24 to conspiracy to commit identity theft, agreeing to forfeit at least $67 million. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Parlatore, who maintained a private law practice while working within the Defense Secretary’s circle, previously served as a personal attorney to former President Donald Trump before departing that legal team amid internal conflicts in 2023. His entry into Hegseth’s inner circle reportedly coincided with public allegations of sexual assault against the Defense Secretary, which Hegseth has denied.
The lawyer has been involved in other notable criminal defense cases, representing individuals such as Anthony “Skinny” Santoro, alleged member of the Bonanno crime family, and Bruce Cutler, a lawyer known for defending mob figures including John Gotti. Despite his recognized legal expertise, some within the Pentagon have accused Parlatore of instigating internal power struggles, claims he has denied as false and contradicted by Trump’s public remarks.
The issue of inaccurate or fabricated legal citations linked to AI tools is drawing increasing attention in the U.S. legal system. A recent analysis noted multiple instances where non-existent cases were submitted in court, prompting disciplinary actions. In a separate New York proceeding just a day before Parlatore’s reprimand, a personal injury lawyer and his firm were fined over $10,000 for submitting legal documents containing AI-generated fake citations.
The incident involving Parlatore underscores growing concerns about the integration of AI in legal research and the need for rigorous verification to maintain the integrity of judicial proceedings.