Federal charges: Former school employee used AI to manipulate images of children in his care into child sexual abuse material
Haslach's booking photo from Ramsey County (Courtesy: Ramsey County Sheriff's Office)
A former school employee in the Twin Cities has been federally charged for using AI to produce sexual images of children in his care.
William Haslach, 30, of Maplewood, was indicted on five counts of receipt of child pornography, five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of production of an obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse.
Court documents state that Haslach worked in several “positions of trust” with children in Independent School District (ISD) #622 and ISD #834, which are located in the Oakdale and Stillwater areas, respectively.
In January, Haslach was charged in Ramsey County Court with 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
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The federal and local charges stem from the same time period of August 2021 through January 2025, when Haslach worked as a lunch monitor and traffic guard for Cowern Elementary, Richardson Elementary, and North High School in ISD #622.
Within that time, from 2021 to 2024, Haslach also worked as a paraprofessional and later as a youth summer programs assistant for ISD #834.
The charges allege Haslach took non-explicit photos of children in his care and used those photos to produce morphed/AI images of the minors engaging in “sexually explicit conduct.” Haslach also possessed and received child pornography that depicted children who were abused by others.
“Prosecuting the predators who walk amongst us—in our neighborhoods, our communities, and particularly in our schools—will always be the top priority in the District of Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “My thoughts are with the many Minnesota parents who will be horrified to learn how Haslach used AI advances to victimize schoolchildren in his care. Rest assured, my office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
Haslach made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. He is due back in court on March 3 for a formal detention hearing.
“Every child is entitled to a secure upbringing, and this case highlights the powerful collaboration among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in their mission to safeguard them,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Cybert, U.S. Secret Service – Minneapolis Field Office.