Leetonia man held on child porn charges

YOUNGSTOWN — A 51-year-old Leetonia man was arraigned this morning on child pornography charges.

Lucas J. Ippolito pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate George J. Limbert, who ordered him held without bond until a 2 p.m.May 14 detention hearing.

A federal grand jury indicted Ippolito Wednesday on charges of transporting 13 and 15-year-old girls from Pennsylvania to Ohio earlier this year to engage in sexual activity, forcing them to engage in sexually explicit conduct for production of a visual depiction of such conduct and possessing child pornography.

He is also charged with knowingly receiving and distributing between Jan. 6 and April 7, 2015, numerous computer files showing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. Attorney said.

The case was investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Youngstown FBI office.