Portage wrestling coaches accused of soliciting child porn as part of team 'tradition'
PORTAGE, Pa. (WJAC) — Investigators say two Portage wrestling coaches are facing felony charges for encouraging their team to share naked pictures of underage high school students as part of a “tradition” at an annual tournament in Allegheny County.
According to a criminal complaint filed by agents of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, 33-year-old Michael Fox and 31-year-old Bradley Rousell have been charged with multiple counts of soliciting child pornography.
Fox was the head coach of the wrestling team and an English teacher for 11th and 12th grades, the complaint says.
Rousell was the wrestling team’s assistant coach.
Authorities say the investigation began in February after a report through Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say program, an anonymous tip line where students can report school bullying, violence and suicidal thoughts.
Investigators say the tip indicated that the Portage varsity wrestling team attended an annual wrestling tournament in West Mifflin, Allegheny County where the annual “tradition” of sharing pornographic pictures took place.
Agents with the Attorney General’s Office and Department of Homeland Security interviewed former and current varsity wrestlers who explained that Fox and Rousell would encourage the wrestlers to obtain naked pictures of students and have them “ready” for the annual tournament which took place at the end of December 2018 and 2019, the complaint says.
“What these coaches did was not only an abuse of power, but a violation of trust to the faculty and students at Portage High School,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “Forcing students to share pornographic photos with their adult coaches is disturbing, illegal and abusive to the young adults they were supposed to be mentors to. Instead of coaching these boys how to be responsible young men, they used them. I will always stand up to protect children across our Commonwealth.”Investigators say that a common theme during the interviews was that Rousell said the West Mifflin Wrestling Tournament is “where boys become men.”
A few weeks before the tournament was to take place, Rousell would begin asking wrestlers if they “got pics,” and say things like “better be getting those pics ready” for the tournament, according to investigators.
Investigators say one of the wrestlers recalled Fox requesting a naked picture of a specific minor student whom he taught, but the wrestler declined, the complaint says.
Investigators say they were told Rousell instructed a second wrestler to get pictures of the same student saying, “we want to see her.”
During the interviews, wrestlers explained that the “tradition” of sharing the pictures was a mandatory “team bonding” that took place in the coaches’ hotel room where the coaches also shared specific details of sexual encounters they’ve had, investigators say.
Multiple wrestlers told investigators that Rousell would also ask them to share their own sexual experiences, the complaint says.
One of the wrestlers said Rousell scrolled through his phone and zoomed in on the pictures of naked students, asking who they were and showing them to Fox, investigators say.
Both Fox and Rousell have preliminary hearings scheduled or Aug. 27.
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