A federal judge in Milwaukee has imposed an eight‑year prison term on Justin Kagerbauer, a 47‑year‑old former youth soccer volunteer, after he pleaded guilty to attempting to travel abroad to engage in sexual acts with minors and to distributing child pornography.
Court records show that Kagerbauer had been communicating for months with an undercover officer posing as the mother of a 9‑year‑old girl in the United Kingdom, repeatedly expressing a sexual interest in children as young as six and discussing a planned meeting in November 2025.
According to prosecutors, he purchased a one‑way ticket from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and then onward to London Heathrow, intending to make the final leg of his journey before his arrest prevented the departure.
Club’s Response and Safeguarding Efforts
Kagerbauer’s involvement with the Franklin‑based Croatian Eagles Soccer Club was limited to serving as the director of tryouts; the club confirmed that his background check was clean and that he was completing SafeSport training designed to safeguard athletes from abuse.
No complaints or allegations of misconduct ever surfaced from players or families during his tenure, and the club emphasized that his volunteer role did not involve direct coaching of youth teams.
The case underscores the growing focus of law‑enforcement agencies on detecting predatory behavior that crosses borders, and it highlights the role of online investigations in uncovering schemes that might otherwise remain hidden.