Robert Seman, charged with rape of girl, pleads not guilty to bribery charges
YOUNGSTOWN — Robert Seman, 47, who was charged with raping a 10-year-old girl, only to have the girl and her grandparents die in a fire hours before his trial was to begin, was arraigned on two counts of bribery today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Shirley J. Christian accepted not-guilty pleas from Seman.
Seman is accused of trying to bribe his ex-wife just before the trial began March 30 to get her to change her testimony.
The girl he is accused of raping, Corinne Gump, and her grandparents William and Judith Schmidt, died in a fire at the Schmidts' Powers Way home just hours before jury selection was to begin.
Fire investigators have not yet ruled on a cause for the fire.
Judge Maureen Sweeney revoked Seman's bond after prosecutors told her the day of the trial that they had information he tried to bribe a witness.
The rape case is still pending. Bond for the bribery charges was deferred to Judge Sweeney, who is expected to have a bond hearing for both pending cases.