A longtime social studies teacher in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville has been ordered held in jail after prosecutors allege he secretly recorded students and used AI to create sexually explicit images of them.
Lake & McHenry County Scanner reports that Marshall Sheffer, 44, of Libertyville, faces eight counts of child sexual abuse material charges, including two Class X felonies and six Class 1 felonies. The investigation began when students at Highland Middle School in Libertyville reported to school staff that they believed their teacher was video recording them.
The Libertyville Police Department obtained Sheffer’s phone and conducted a forensic examination of its contents. According to police, the examination revealed that Sheffer possessed numerous images of students that had been altered using AI tools to create child pornography.
During the investigation, detectives recovered multiple electronic devices and executed a search warrant at Sheffer’s residence. They were assisted by specially trained electronic storage detection dogs to locate and seize any additional explicit child images.
Libertyville Police Chief Ed Roncone emphasized the complexity of the case. “This was a highly sensitive, complex and lengthy investigation. Its success relied on the work of our Investigators and the close collaboration with our partners at the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cyber Crimes Division, the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, and Libertyville School District 70,” Roncone said.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart stated that protecting children from exploitation is a top priority. “The Libertyville Police Department, our Cyber Crimes Division, ESD K9 Grip, ESD K9 Enzo, and the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center have done great work investigating this case. We are committed to holding these offenders accountable and using every available tool, including digital forensics and K9 resources, to keep our community safe,” Rinehart said.
Libertyville School District 70 Superintendent Rebecca Jenkins sent a letter to families and staff following the arrest. She stated that several students came forward to Highland Middle School leaders on June 3, the second-to-last day of school, reporting inappropriate photos and videos taken by Sheffer in his classroom. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the students who came forward. By speaking up, they took an important step that helps us to protect our school community,” Jenkins said.
The superintendent noted that based on discussions with police, the evidence includes AI-altered versions of pictures of current and former students taken on school grounds. Additional victims may be identified. Sheffer, who had been a district employee for 18 years, was immediately removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave. The district opened a formal investigation as required by Title IX and notified the Illinois State Board of Education of the charges.
“The Board and administration, in consultation with legal counsel, will also be conducting a thorough review and will recommend necessary changes to strengthen or expand our District policies regarding staff use of personal technology during the school day, AI and student photo/video protocols and permissions,” Jenkins said.
During court proceedings, prosecutors stated that students reported noticing from April to June that Sheffer had his phone out in a manner suggesting he may have been taking photos or videos. Some students saw a red dot on his screen indicating he was recording. Prosecutors said Sheffer admitted to taking photos of a classroom activity on June 3 but claimed he deleted them. He allegedly used his own child having diabetes as a reason for having his phone out while secretly photographing students.
Law enforcement officials say the search of his phone revealed multiple images of students at the school that were later altered using AI to make the children, ages 12 to 14, appear nude. Photos were recovered of former juvenile students who are now adults and had also been victims.
Breitbart News has reported extensively on AI-powered “nudify” apps that enable users to create sexually explicit deepfake images of victims. Apple and Google continue to offer a variety of such apps despite their despicable nature:
The research organization found that users can easily access these apps by searching for terms like “nudify” and “undress” in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The applications can be used to digitally alter images of both celebrities and the general public to make them appear nude or partially undressed.
According to the report, the companies are not merely hosting these apps but are actively directing users to them through search results and advertisements. The Tech Transparency Project identified 18 apps with nudifying capabilities in the Apple App Store and 20 in the Google Play Store. Both platforms also use their autocomplete features to suggest names of additional nudifying apps as users type search terms.
In his instant bestseller, Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI, Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall explains the importance of conservatives protecting their children and grandchildren from AI-powered predators. He specifically explains the dangers of AI-powered sexualization and grooming:
In his new book, Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI, Breitbart News social media director and author Wynton Hall points out that artificial intelligence is “being used to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM).”
“For example, AI tools can rapidly and easily create ‘deepfakes’ by studying real photographs of abused children to generate new images showing those children in sexual positions. This involves overlaying the face of one person on the body of another,” Hall writes.
Additionally, “AI can combine data from photographs of both abused and non-abused children to animate new and realistic sexualized images of children who do not exist, but who may resemble actual children,” the author adds.
Read more at Lake & McHenry County Scanner here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.