MN school employee charged for using AI to produce sexually explicit images of children in his care

MINNEAPOLIS — A former school employee was charged after he allegedly used artificial intelligence to create sexually abusive images of the children that were in his care.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 30-year-old William Haslach, who is a former employee of Independent School District #622 (North St. Paul—Maplewood—Oakdale) and ISD #834 (Stillwater), was charged with receipt and possession of child pornography as well as production of an obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse.

Haslach worked in various roles, including lunch monitor and traffic guard, in the schools from 2021 to 2025.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Haslach used his access to children to take non-explicit photos of them before using those images to produce AI photos of the children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Haslach is also facing 10 charges in Ramsey County after Maplewood Police arrested him in January. Court documents say they recovered 800 files from his home computer that contained child sexual abuse material. 

In a post-Miranda interview, police say that Haslach admitted he has a sexual attraction to children and denied he has ever had sexual contact with a child. 

"The speed and the ease and the low barrier to entry and create this content, is not like we've ever seen it before," said Kolina Koltai.

Koltai is a researcher who specializes in the misuse of AI for the nonprofit investigative journalism outlet called Bellingcat. She says these so-called nudify sites lack transparency, while garnering millions of views every month.

"We're really seeing the normalization of this because it's not just, in this case, an adult making this of young children, we're seeing children making this of children," said Koltai. "We need to really rein in the access to this kind of AI technology."

Except putting a stop to the ever-changing technology is difficult. Several states have laws protecting children against digitally created images. 

"We need to be putting regulations on it, enforcement on it, we need to be putting public pressure on this and we need to address sooner than later," said Koltai.

Just this week, Minnesota Senator Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley) introduced a bill that would require companies to turn off consumer access to use — or even request to use — this type of nudification technology. If any company fails, it could face a $500,000 fine. 

As for Haslach, investigators think there are more victims. If your child has been in close contact with Haslach, and/or if you or your child is aware of Haslach taking a photo of your child, please contact the Minnesota BCA’s Tip Line at 651-793-2465 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us.