Former OC elementary school teacher pleads guilty to child porn charges

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A former Orange County elementary school teacher and high school wrestling coach pleaded guilty Monday to possessing child sexual abuse material, including one video that the Department of Justice showed "masochistic sexual conduct involving a child."

Richard O'Connor of Anaheim, who used to teach fourth grade at Crescent Elementary School in Anaheim, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child porn. O'Connor was also the wrestling coach at Canyon High School in Anaheim, however he was not accused of victimizing any of his students.

Law enforcement served a warrant for O'Connor's iCloud account in October 2022. After seizing his account, officials found hundreds of pictures and videos of child pornography. O'Connor admitted that some of those files included infants and toddlers, as well as "violent, sadistic or masochistic conduct."

O'Connor is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18, 2023. He will face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and will have to register as a sex offender, but federal prosecutors have agreed to recommend to the court that O'Connor's sentence be no higher than five years.