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CORTLAND -- A Bazetta man who was named in a 26-count indictment in a child pornography investigation was arraigned Monday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Robert Riccardi, 70, formerly of Howland Wilson Road, through his attorney Brendan Keating, pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor; nine counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance; and five counts of voyeurism.
Riccardi, who remains in Trumbull County jail pending the posting of a $250,000 bond set Monday by Common Pleas Judge Peter J. Kontos, will appear again in court on Dec. 21.
Assistant Prosecutor Charles Morrow, in arguing for the high bond, said the case is "not just your typical pornography taken from the internet." Morrow said the case also involved Riccardi allegedly capturing the pornography himself and also involved the secret recording of five women in the community.
Because of the complexity of the case, Keating asked his client to waive his right for a speedy trial for 180 days so that he can prepare for a trial now scheduled for May 3, 2021. In Ohio, defendants who are incarcerated have a right to be brought to trial within 90 days.
The charges, which include 15 second-degree felonies, one fourth-degree felony, five fifth-degree felonies and five second-degree misdemeanors, would carry maximum prison terms of about 125 years in prison if Riccardi is found guilty of all charges.
He was indicted last week by a Trumbull County grand jury, but Riccardi has been incarcerated since Sept. 16, when agents from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and other investigators searched his Howland Wilson Road home.
Steve Irwin, spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office and its Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said investigators were prompted by a tip from Internet Crimes Against Children, a Cleveland group that collects data from internet service providers about possible sex crimes. Irwin could not give any more information about the case.