Ex-MN Teacher Gets 6 Years For Sending Child Porn To Undercover Agent

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A former high school teacher from Mankato was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick on Thursday.

Daniel J. Janke, 54, was also ordered to pay $18,000 in special assessments that benefit minors directly impacted by these types of offenses.

Janke knowingly obtained and distributed images and videos depicting the graphic sexual exploitation of children, authorities said.

Janke had pleaded guilty to the charge back in October.

When pronouncing the sentence Thursday, Judge John Tunheim specifically noted an aggravating aspect of the Janke matter was "the haunting reality that the distribution of CSAM material on the Internet means it lives on forever."

Janke worked as a teacher for the New Ulm and Sleepy Eye school districts from 1993 to 2024, the Star Tribune reported, and also worked as a part-time golf coach at Martin Luther College for three years.

During an investigation of a specific chatroom on Kik, a social media application, an undercover (UC) law enforcement agent encountered the defendant using the pseudonym "Jack Frost."

From Oct. 23, 2023 to Nov. 1, 2023, they exchanged multiple messages, and Janke sent multiple CSAM images and a video to the UC agent, according to prosecutors.

A subsequent forensic examination of Janke’s electronic devices and Kik account confirmed that he collected and distributed sexually explicit images of pubescent and pre-pubescent minor victims, authorities said.

“It’s hard to imagine someone working with children and then making the choice to exploit them on the internet,” said Kirkpatrick in a statement.

“Teachers, coaches, daycare workers—it doesn’t matter who you are—my office will continue to prosecute predators in positions of trust to the fullest extent of the law.”

"This case is a stark reminder that child predators continue to operate in digital spaces, using technology to exploit children and share that abuse with others," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "The FBI is committed to protecting our most vulnerable and will continue to work with our partners to bring predators to justice."

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing prosecuted the case.