Two men accused of taking part in the rape of an Indiana teenager in Ohio appeared in federal court Wednesday.
Eric Ho, 25, is charged with rape and Bryan Otero, 27, is charged with complicity to rape. The two appeared Wednesday afternoon before a federal magistrate in Cincinnati, WLWT reports.
Ho’s preliminary hearing was set for May 19, and Otero’s was set for May 22.
Ian Smith, 20, is charged with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography. He was arrested in Kansas.
Investigators said Smith, whom the victim met online, lured the girl away from home.
Investigators said Smith drove from Kansas to Indiana to pick her up.
Federal investigators said he drove the 14-year-old girl from northwestern Indiana to Clermont County, where she was dropped off at an apartment with two men accused of committing sex crimes.
Smith returned to Kansas, according to federal investigators.
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He was arrested May 1 by Wichita police, according to officers in Kansas, and is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail.
The two men in the apartment were arrested last week, and the girl was taken to safety after the FBI tracked her down using her online history.
Smith faces at least 15 years in federal prison on the charge of exploiting a minor and up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the possession charge.
