Former Minnetonka school worker accused of sending sexually explicit photos to teen pleads guilty

A former Minnetonka, Minnesota, school employee accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old girl has pleaded guilty, according to court documents filed Thursday.

Ibrahim Haji, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a person under 18. Two other counts he was charged with in January — soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct and distributing material that relates or describes sexual conduct to a child — are expected to be dropped as part of a plea agreement.

According to the criminal complaint, a school resource officer at a high school in Minnetonka on Oct. 24, 2024, learned about a possible inappropriate relationship between a teacher, identified as Haji, and a student at another school in the area.

Eagle Ridge Academy in Minnetonka, a K-12 charter school, told WCCO that Haji worked there from Sept. 28, 2023, to Oct. 21, 2024, as a hall monitor.

Police reached out to the teen's mother and informed her of the information they received, the complaint said. The mother took her daughter's phone to look for inappropriate messages, but believed they'd already been deleted.

The mother then gave her daughter's phone to law enforcement, which searched it and found a Snapchat contact labeled "Mr Hajis Sexy A**," according to court documents. Police allegedly also found 469 records of messages between the phone and the account between Oct. 9, 2024, and Oct. 15, 2024, as well as 13 emails between the phone and an email associated with Haji.

The complaint said the teen told detectives during an interview that she and Haji were close friends and that she had received a Snapchat picture from Haji that showed his penis. The victim admitted in court documents that she sent back some pictures of "sexual nature" to Haji and that the two had discussed meeting up to have sex. She confirmed that Haji knew her age and wished her a happy birthday when she turned 15.

Haji was arrested on Oct. 22, 2024. According to the complaint, he told police he "knew what this was about, and he wanted to try and explain."

Law enforcement searched Haji's phone and found he searched "is it a crime to talk to a minor" and "snapchat deactivation," court documents said. Additionally, investigators reported finding at least 223 pictures and videos of child sexual abuse material involving children who were not the teen.

Haji faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.