New Allegations, New Victims Identified in Federal Pornography Case

Prosecutors working on the case of a St. Thomas high school coach charged with sexually exploiting minors have identified four more victims, according to documents filed in District Court. New details in the case of Charlotte Amalie High School coach Alfredo Bruce Smith are found in a superseding indictment filed Aug. 29.

Smith was ordered to appear at an arraignment hearing Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Ruth Miller, but he waived his right to appear in court. Federal Public Defender Kia Sears appeared on his behalf and entered a not guilty plea.

A trial on charges of producing child pornography, second-degree rape, and other charges was supposed to begin on Tuesday, but the filing of a new charging document in late August moved back the clock for a new round of pretrial proceedings. On Aug. 29 an indictment was produced by a grand jury.

At the hearing held Wednesday, Miller said a new trial date — Dec. 5 — had already been chosen. Still awaiting a ruling by the court is a defense motion to delay the start of trial.