CINCINNATI (OH)
WLWT - NBC 5 [Cincinnati OH]
April 28, 2026
By Emily Sanderson, Brian Hamrick
A now-former coach at an all-girls Catholic high school in Cincinnati is facing several charges in connection with a child porn investigation.
Dominic Bellissemo, 31, has been charged with multiple felony counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving minors.
The investigation
The charges come after the Green Township Police Criminal Investigation Section in conjunction with the Regional Electronics and Computer Investigation Unit (RECI) conducted a search warrant in a home on Sunburst Ridge Lane.
Green Township police said they were notified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the illegal activity.
What police say
Police say that as a result of the investigation and evidence obtained, Bellissemo was charged and arrested.
Police said when they confronted Bellissemo, he admitted to having the pictures.
Investigators said they believe there are hundreds of images involved, but they are still sorting through electronic devices under a search warrant.
“It’s still ongoing investigation. So at this point, we don’t know if there’s any local victims at all,” Detective Johnny Lammers with Green Township police said when asked if any victims have been identified.
Bellissemo is expected to be arraigned Wednesday. Police say more criminal charges are pending.
School connection
Police and the prosecutor’s office confirmed to WLWT Bellissemo was a coach at Ursuline Academy.
He is no longer a coach. As of Tuesday morning, Bellissemo was listed as the team’s coach, but his name and photos have since been removed from the school’s website. Another coach is now listed. Before joining the lacrosse team, Bellissemo served as a soccer coach at Ursuline.
Ursuline Academy released a statement Tuesday, saying they were notified of Bellissemo’s arrest and immediately terminated his employment and is fully cooperating with the criminal investigation.
“The safety and well-being of our community members is our school’s highest priority, and we have robust child protection policies and protocols in place. These include background checks, fingerprinting, and reference checks as well as ongoing Safe Parish training. At this point, we have no information to indicate that these charges involved Ursuline students, happened on Ursuline’s campus, or otherwise involved the Ursuline community,” the statement reads.