A former Alabama official is making headlines in New Zealand in a sperm donation scandal.

The New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday that 52-year-old Bill Johnson had been using an alias to meet women who wanted help getting pregnant.

Johnson has been living in Christchurch as a contractor in the recovery effort following a deadly earthquake in February.

The newspaper said it has confirmed at least nine women received sperm donations from Johnson and at least three of those are pregnant.

Johnson told a reporter with the Herald that he was unable to have children with his wife. He said she knew he wanted to be a sperm donor but wasn't planning on telling her about the pregnancies until after the children were born.

Johnson ran for Alabama governor in 2010. The Prattville democrat served as the director of the state Department of Economic and Community Affairs for six years.