Police: Man Targeted Gay Men In Drugging, Robbery Scheme
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Suffolk County District Attorney's office on Monday announced the indictment of a man who they say faked an accent and posed as a wealthy, well-dressed man while drugging and robbing gay men of expensive clothing, jewelry, and artwork in 2013.
Riccardo D'Orsainville, 50, of Norwood, was charged with one count of kidnapping and three counts each of poisoning, larceny over $250, and receiving stolen property.
He had also been charged with one count of larceny over $250 in connection with his February arrest in Boston. He has been held on $250,000 bail since his arrest.
Police said that, between March and April of 2013, at least three men took D'Orsainville into their homes. They told police they drank alcohol with him, before passing out and describing symptoms that did not follow normal alcohol consumption. In each case, police said the men woke to find thousands of dollars' worth of property missing--items ranging from tuxedos and designer ties to paintings and sculptures. One of the men woke to find his hands tied behind his back.
Two of the men told police they met D'Orsainville in a bar, and one met him online. Though police reached out to LGBTQ publications to spread awareness of the druggings and robberies, they said it wasn't until someone recognized D'Orsainville from another crime he was charged with that police were able to identify him.
One of the victims mentioned his being drugged and robbed to a friend, who recognized the description of the robber as that of D'Orsainville based on his conviction for defrauding the Boston Veterans Affairs Research Institute in 2013. This led police to a photo identification of D'Orsainville and a search warrant for his home.
While searching D'Orsainville's home in February, police said they found the victims' clothing and artwork, which lead to his arrest and the first larceny charge.
"These indictments are the result of an investigative partnership by Boston Police and Suffolk prosecutors," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a release. "A key component of that partnership is respect and compassion: No matter who you are, no matter what happened, you can count on us to help and treat you with the dignity you deserve. When victims come forward and witnesses share information, we build better, stronger cases."
He is expected to return to Boston Municipal Court June 16.