DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. — FBI agents arrested a South Florida teacher following a raid at his Deerfield Beach home on Thursday, accusing him of sending and receiving videos of children being sexually abused ― and discussing attempts to get explicit photos of his students.
Patrick Conor Russell, 37, taught at Saint Andrew’s School, a private Episcopal boarding school at 3900 Jog Road in Boca Raton. He has since been fired, school representatives say.
According to court documents, the investigation into Russell began after FBI agents in the Cincinnati area executed a search warrant on another person, identified as “Subject 1,” as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse material.
Agents said as they searched a device belonging to “Subject 1,” they found thousands of files of child sexual abuse material and reviewed chats on messaging app Zangi. They said they identified chats with a user going by the handle of “Jack C,” later revealed to be Russell.
Authorities said the two exchanged links involving “sexually explicit content involving minors” and Russell made remarks expressing an interest in “teen boys and girls.”
According to the complaint, Russell discussed a sexual roleplay scenario in which “Subject 1″ was “a student in my high school English class” and expressed sexual desires for his students.
Authorities said Russell further “discussed being a teacher and a coach” and sent “Subject 1″ apparent photos of boys who attended his school and “made sexually explicit comments about these apparent students,” whom they said he described as “two cuties I know.”
Russell, agents said, “also discussed wanting to find someone who can ‘bait’ the students at his school into sending nude pictures” and described seeing his students naked in locker rooms as a coach.
“Haha it’s both the best and the worst,” agents said Russell told the other person. “Get to see them so much. But too risky to try much more. Which is why I’m always in search of someone who can bait to try and get nudes of them!! Lol.”
Agents said he added, “Although….when I’m helping them stretch I get to touch them. Thighs. Waist. Arms. Chest. Even touched some bulges before. Hehe.”
Authorities said the two were also in a group chat dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse content.
According to the complaint, agents took Russell into custody as he left his Deerfield Beach home and searched his home and devices. The complaint states that he told agents “he has been ‘battling’ this for a while.”
“While (Russell) says he has never touched a minor inappropriately, he admitted to engaging in inappropriate conversations about minors, some of which were sexual in nature,” FBI Special Agent Kristin Chandler wrote in the complaint.
Authorities said a search of Russell’s phone indicated he remained in and interacted with group chats dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse videos.
Records show Russell had been scheduled to appear in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Friday morning on two federal charges related to the possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material. As of Friday afternoon, he was being held in the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail facility on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.
A representative from St. Andrew’s School shared a message that Head of School Ethan Shapiro sent to parents following Russell’s arrest, reading, in part:
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