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OU Professor Arraigned On ‘Alternative’ Charges In Porn Case
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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A Dublin man who is facing charges involving child pornography was arraigned in Athens County Common Pleas Court for other charges in the case and has again pleaded innocent to the allegations.
A superceding indictment was filed earlier this month on Amol T. Kharabe, 41, a business professor for Ohio University, which added nine more counts to Kharabe's list of charges.
In the original indictment, filed in February, Kharabe was charged with nine counts of pandering obscenity, one count of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance and one count of possessing criminal tools, all felony charges.
The superseding indictment added nine more charges, all for fourth-degree pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor, as the Messenger previous reported.
Kharabe is charged with knowingly having material "that shows a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity, masturbation, or beastiality," according to previous Messenger reporting.
The pandering obscenity charges accuse Kharabe of creating, reproducing or publishing "obscene material that has a minor as one of its participants or portrayed observers," court documents stated.
Kharabe was arraigned on the new charges this week, according to court documents, and pleaded innocent to all nine of the charges.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said the new charges are "alternative" charges, which means the charges will either replace the nine counts of pandering obscenity on the original indictment, or be dismissed. Kharabe would not be sentenced on both sets if found guilty.
The additional charges come from a strategy to cover the law in which, though the level of obscenity is not clear, it is clear that obscenity is present in the case, Blackburn told the Messenger when the superceding indictment was filed.