News

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Federal authorities have accused a 76-year-old man of taking pornographic pictures of five underage girls over the past two years. Ralph G. Martell, of Eaton, was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court with producing child pornography and failing to keep records of those he'd photographed in sexually explicit poses.

The girls between the ages of 13 and 17 responded to an ad Martell placed in a newspaper, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher said. It is not illegal to take nude photographs of people 18 and older, but photographers cannot simply take the models at their word, she said.

The girls lied to Martell about their ages, but at least one looked so young her pictures drew the attention of a film processing company in Maryland, according to authorities.

Martell could face up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. U.S. Magistrate David Peebles ordered him jailed without bail until a detention hearing Thursday.

Fletcher said Martell has been taking nude photos for at least 10 years, though there was no evidence he was doing anything other than keeping them.

Eaton is 25 miles southeast of Syracuse.