What began with a single cybertip grew into a months-long investigation that investigators say uncovered one of Louisiana’s most disturbing artificial intelligence child exploitation cases.
A grand jury indicted former Isidore Newman School teacher and coach Benoit Cransac on 102 felony charges, alleging he used artificial intelligence to create fake nude images of students from ordinary social media photos, secretly photographed female students inside classrooms and possessed child sexual abuse material.
The Louisiana Bureau of Investigations led the investigation.
The indictment includes 60 counts of unlawful deepfakes involving minors, 17 counts of video voyeurism and 25 counts involving child sexual abuse material. Those child sexual abuse material charges include 20 counts involving children under 17 and five counts involving children under 13.
Cransac has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His criminal case remains pending in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
While the allegations have drawn national attention because of their connection to artificial intelligence, Homeland Security Investigations says the technology itself is only part of the story.
In an exclusive interview with WDSU, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Jessica Zuppardo offered a rare look inside the investigation, explaining how federal agents built the case, what they say they uncovered and why they believe the Cransac investigation should serve as a warning for parents.
“I would say the most surprising thing was that he was friending his students on social media and then just using their completely innocent photos to turn them into something so egregious,” Zuppardo said. “It just added a whole new level of violating somebody’s privacy, especially a child’s.”
Zuppardo was part of the federal team that investigated the allegations against Cransac. She helped execute search warrants, worked alongside Homeland Security Investigations computer forensic analysts and assisted investigators in identifying victims.
According to investigators, the case began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a cybertip.
“The tip comes in through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Then we begin our investigation,” Zuppardo said. “A lot of times we will send subpoenas, do search warrants and try and identify our suspect.”
According to court records, that cybertip led investigators to Cransac.
Investigators executed search warrants at both his home and workplace, where they seized two computers, including a work-issued computer, a cellphone, an SD card and multiple electronic storage devices.
According to prosecutors, evidence recovered from those devices dramatically expanded the investigation.
Court records allege investigators found 17 photographs of female students taken inside classrooms that focused on the students’ lower bodies. Prosecutors also allege investigators discovered dozens of AI-generated nude images created by using the students’ real faces with artificial intelligence.
“So in this case in particular, he went on his students’ social media apps and websites and took some of their photos and then used AI to turn them into sexual content,” Zuppardo said. “He essentially created child pornography from photos that were completely innocent.”
According to prosecutors, investigators also allege some of those AI-generated images were electronically shared.
Zuppardo said investigators view distribution as especially concerning because once an image is shared online, it can spread well beyond the original device.
“Distribution as opposed to just possession does make the crime more serious because now you don’t know where it’s going,” she said. “Sometimes we have certain tools that can trace it or follow it and see what they’ve done with it, but you can never be 100% sure.”
She said investigators have worked cases where images created in one community later resurfaced on computers in other states and even other countries.
“Once you put it online, you can’t get it back,” Zuppardo said. “We do our best to minimize the damage and stop the spread, but once people put things out there, it’s hard to get it back.”
Investigators say that reality has fundamentally changed child exploitation investigations.
Unlike many traditional child exploitation cases, prosecutors allege the Cransac investigation did not begin with explicit images. Instead, investigators say ordinary photographs students had already shared online became the foundation for AI-generated sexually explicit images.
For federal investigators, that represents a rapidly evolving challenge, one they say is changing child exploitation investigations across the country.
As part of WDSU’s exclusive access, Homeland Security Investigations opened the doors to its computer forensics laboratory, where investigators analyze electronic devices seized during child exploitation investigations.
The lab is where computers, cellphones, hard drives, SD cards and other digital storage devices are examined for evidence that investigators say often becomes the foundation of criminal cases.
“So this is our computer forensics lab, and this is where, when we seize computers or electronic devices, this is where we bring them to be examined for further examination,” Zuppardo said. “Some of our technology can unlock password-protected things or encrypted devices. Our computer forensic examiners have the ability and the software to do that.”
Investigators say digital evidence is no longer confined to a computer’s hard drive.
“It’s everywhere,” Zuppardo said. “Thumb drives, hard drives. Some people are hiding it. They’ll disguise it as something else.”
Another misconception investigators frequently encounter is the belief that deleted files are gone forever.
“That’s not the case,” Zuppardo said. “We are able to access stuff that’s been deleted, or people think they have deleted, and we’re able to access it through the computer forensics.”
Before investigators begin searching a device, they first take steps to make sure no one can remotely erase potential evidence.
One of those tools is a Faraday box, which blocks wireless signals from reaching phones, tablets and computers after they have been seized.
“If somebody tries to access their phone while it’s in our custody and wipe it, maybe destroy evidence, we can put it in this box and it’s going to block any kind of signal,” Zuppardo said.
Investigators say technology like that has become increasingly important as artificial intelligence continues to evolve.
“It’s changed drastically over the years,” Zuppardo said. “As technology advances, so do their tactics.”
Homeland Security Investigations says reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in recent years. According to the agency, cyber tips involving AI-generated child exploitation have risen by approximately 6,000 percent.
“Sometimes I feel like we’re always playing catch up,” Zuppardo said.
Investigators say artificial intelligence has changed how child exploitation crimes are committed because offenders no longer need explicit photographs to create exploitative images.
Instead, they say ordinary photographs shared online can be manipulated into realistic-looking images using widely available AI tools.
To demonstrate how quickly the technology has evolved, WDSU created an AI-generated video using a single publicly shared social media photograph.
The demonstration was created solely to illustrate how artificial intelligence can generate convincing content from one ordinary image.
Investigators say that’s what makes cases like this particularly concerning.
If artificial intelligence can create a realistic video from a single photograph, they warn, the same technology can be used to manipulate innocent images into explicit content.
“I don’t think the community is aware of how prevalent this is,” Zuppardo said. “The cyber tips come in at an alarming rate. As fast as technology advances, so do the cyber tips.”
Investigators say the rise of artificial intelligence has made public awareness more important than ever because many families still underestimate how easily images shared online can be manipulated.
They also say today’s investigations often look much different than they did even a few years ago, requiring investigators to adapt as quickly as the technology itself.
For Homeland Security Investigations, the Cransac case represents more than a single criminal prosecution.
Investigators say it is an example of how artificial intelligence is reshaping child exploitation investigations and why educating families has become just as important as investigating the crimes themselves.
For Zuppardo, the most important part of investigations like this doesn’t happen inside a forensic laboratory or a courtroom.
It happens at home.
She said parents remain one of the strongest defenses against online exploitation, especially as children spend more time on phones, gaming platforms and social media.
“You have to talk to them. You have to educate them,” Zuppardo said. “It’s so hard because we can’t be with our kids all the time. I kind of relate it to driving a car. You’re not just going to hand your kids the keys. You’re going to educate them first. The internet’s like that too.”
Homeland Security Investigations says summer can be an especially vulnerable time for children because they often spend significantly more time online while school is out. Whether they’re gaming, streaming videos or chatting with friends, investigators say the increase in screen time can also increase exposure to online predators, scams, cyberbullying and inappropriate content.
The agency says recent data shows gaming time among young children has increased by 65 percent since 2020, while nearly half of teenagers report spending too much time on social media.
Investigators encourage parents to establish clear digital boundaries before problems arise. They recommend keeping social media accounts and gaming profiles set to private, turning off location services on social media and other nonessential apps, reviewing children’s friend lists regularly and removing people they do not know personally.
They also encourage parents to set reasonable screen time limits, use parental controls for app downloads and purchases and remind children never to leave a game or social media platform to continue a conversation with someone they do not know on another app.
Perhaps most importantly, investigators say children should understand that anything shared online can become permanent.
“Talk about data permanency,” Zuppardo said. “Online data can last a lifetime.”
She also urged parents to pay attention to who is communicating with their children online.
“It’s not appropriate for your teacher to be your friend on Snapchat or on Instagram or Facebook. It’s not appropriate for your coach to communicate with you through Messenger,” Zuppardo said. “Those are the conversations we need to have with our kids because this is no longer the stranger in the white van at the playground. This is people we know right inside of our home, so to speak, because they’re on the devices.”
If parents discover their child’s images have been altered, shared or used without permission, investigators urge them not to delete messages, images or videos.
Instead, they recommend preserving usernames, screenshots, photographs and conversations as evidence before contacting local law enforcement or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Homeland Security Investigations has also launched the Know2Protect campaign, which provides free online safety resources for parents, educators and children. Those resources include conversation guides, family online safety agreements and an “Exit Strategy Checklist” designed to help children safely leave uncomfortable or risky online situations.
Investigators say the goal is not to discourage children from using technology, but to help families understand how quickly it is changing and how easily it can be misused.
For Zuppardo, the Cransac investigation illustrates that child exploitation no longer requires explicit photographs or a stranger lurking behind a fake online profile.
Investigators say today’s technology allows ordinary images to be manipulated in ways that simply were not possible just a few years ago.
They hope cases like this encourage families to have conversations about online safety before a child ever becomes a victim.
Cransac has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His criminal case remains pending in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
Homeland Security Investigations officials hope the case will raise awareness about the growing role artificial intelligence is playing in child exploitation investigations and encourage families to have conversations about online safety before tragedy strikes.
How parents can help protect children online
Homeland Security Investigations says there are several steps families can take to reduce the risk of online exploitation:
- Start regular conversations with children about online safety and encourage them to tell a trusted adult if something makes them uncomfortable.
- Keep social media accounts, gaming profiles and apps set to private.
- Turn off location services on social media and other nonessential apps.
- Know who is on your child’s friend list and remove people they do not know personally.
- Set screen time limits and establish device-free times and areas in the home.
- Use parental controls or password protection for app stores and gaming downloads.
- Remind children never to leave a game or social media platform to chat with someone they do not know on another app.
- Talk about “data permanency.” Photos, videos and messages shared online can remain on the internet indefinitely, even if they are deleted.
- If your child’s images are altered or shared without permission, do not delete the messages, photos or videos. Save usernames, screenshots and conversations as evidence and contact law enforcement immediately.
- Download free online safety resources, including family conversation guides, a Family Online Safety Agreement and an Exit Strategy Checklist, through Homeland Security Investigations’ Know2Protect campaign at Know2Protect.gov.
Resources for Parents
Homeland Security Investigations encourages families to take advantage of free online safety resources designed to help parents, caregivers and children navigate today’s digital world.
Know2Protect Campaign
Know2Protect is a national public awareness campaign led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that provides free tools to help families prevent online child exploitation.
Resources include:
- Family Online Safety Agreement to establish expectations for technology use.
- Exit Strategy Checklist that helps children safely leave uncomfortable or risky online situations.
- Conversation guides to help parents discuss online safety, social media and gaming with children.
- Age-appropriate online safety education for children and teenagers.
- Information on recognizing online grooming, sextortion and AI-generated exploitation.
- Guidance on reporting suspected online child exploitation.
Families can access the resources at Know2Protect.gov.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
If you suspect a child has been targeted online or believe child sexual abuse material has been created or shared, investigators encourage families to report it immediately to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The CyberTipline is available 24 hours a day to receive reports from the public and electronic service providers.
Website: CyberTipline.org
If your child becomes a victim
Homeland Security Investigations recommends parents:
- Do not delete messages, images or videos.
- Save screenshots, usernames and conversations as evidence.
- Do not forward sexually explicit images.
- Contact local law enforcement immediately.
- File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
- Notify your child’s school if the suspected offender has a connection to the school or extracurricular activities.
READ MORE:WDSU Investigates Exclusive: Inside the AI investigation into former Newman teacher Benoit Cransac
