MILWAUKEE — Federal agents arrested Patrick Conor Russell, 37, at his home in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on federal charges of possessing and receiving child pornography.
Russell has deep ties to several schools in the Milwaukee area, where he worked as a teacher and coach before moving to Florida.
Russell remains behind bars in Broward County, Florida, where he was living and working as a teacher at the time of his arrest last week.
According to the federal complaint, Russell was identified through an encrypted messaging app where the FBI says he talked about being a teacher and a coach and "looking for someone who can bait" students into sending inappropriate images.
Agents say they recovered those online chats from his phone, along with files they allege show minors in sexual situations. The details suggest he may have been trying to target students he knew personally.
In an interview with the FBI, Russell admitted having inappropriate conversations about minors, requesting images, and viewing material he believed showed underage boys.
Watch: Former Milwaukee area teacher arrested on federal child porn charges
Before moving to Florida, Russell was an assistant football and lacrosse coach at Marquette University High School for six years until 2024. He most recently taught at Carmen Southeast High School until 2024. Before that, he taught at Catholic Memorial. He also taught at St. John Vianney in Brookfield for a year and at St. Robert in Shorewood for two years.
Russell was also heavily involved with the Ulster Project of Greater Milwaukee, a peace‑building exchange program that brings Catholic and Protestant teens from Northern Ireland together with local teens each summer for a month of community service, cultural activities and dialogue. The organization cut ties with Russell immediately when they learned of the charges.
TMJ4 reached out to all of these schools and organizations. They say they have not received any reports or allegations involving Russell during his time there.
Peter Isely, founder of Nate's Mission — a group focused on preventing and addressing sexual abuse in Christian institutions — noted Russell's extensive history at local Catholic schools.
"He was in a lot of Catholic schools here," Isely said.
Isely is urging any potential victims to reach out to authorities first. Nate's Mission also provides resources to help survivors navigate the process.
"I think the need to investigate here is obvious, so you know, investigating, reporting, and protecting, that's the three things that need to happen here," Isely said.
Isely said that the suspect’s history across multiple Catholic schools raises “reasonable suspicion” that there may be victims in Wisconsin. Survivors, he stressed, should seek counseling and trusted support, noting, “Those images and videos don’t go away… these are criminal acts survivors will carry for life.”
If convicted, Russell could face up to 30 years in federal prison.
Anyone with information or concerns about abuse can contact the Wisconsin Department of Justice Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Tip Line at 1‑877‑222‑2620 or visit SupportSurvivorsWI.org. Survivors and advocates can also connect with Nate’s Mission, a Wisconsin‑based organization supporting survivors of clergy abuse, at natesmission.org.
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