California Man Admits to Showing Child Porn Video to Teen at Hotel-Casino

Posted on: September 19, 2021, 08:46h. 

Last updated on: September 20, 2021, 08:29h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A 47-year-old California man admitted last week to the production of child pornography which showed him having sex with a 16-year-old girl. He also admitted to later showing that video to a 17-year-old teen while the two were in a casino-hotel in California’s Placer County.

He faces between 15 and 30 years’ incarceration
Northern District of California Acting US Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, pictured above. She announced last week that a man plead guilty to a child porn charge. The video was shown to a teenager at a California casino, she said. (Image: Ashley Landis/AP)

Ranbir Singh of Richmond confirmed he went to the unnamed hotel with the 17-year-old in May 2013, according to federal prosecutors. Singh had sex with the girl after he showed her the video, prosecutors said.

The video showed him having sex with the 16-year-old in an Alameda County hotel room in March 2013, prosecutors said. When making the video, Singh allegedly set up a video camera in the hotel room to record the acts.

Last Wednesday, Singh pleaded guilty in Oakland, Calif. federal court to the production of child pornography, according to Northern District of California Acting US Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds.

Could Be Sentenced Up To 30 Years

He faces between 15 and 30 years’ incarceration, Hinds said. He could also be ordered to pay a fine of $250,000.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8. by US District Court Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. Singh remains in custody until sentencing.

The two female victims later reported the incidents to officials. The case was investigated by the Richmond Police Department and the US Department of Homeland Security. In March, Singh was indicted.

Earlier in 2013, Singh also recorded the same 16-year-old in the backseat of a car in a “compromising and exposed position,” Hinds added in a statement.

Earlier Child Porn Allegations

In an unrelated case, a man identified in news reports as a convention and event planner at a Las Vegas casino-hotel was arrested in April on child porn charges. The arrest followed a lengthy inquiry by Las Vegas Metro police, according to published reports.

Police claim they discovered three images on his cellphone and 40 images on his computer.

The suspect, identified as Michael Testagrossa, 53, of Las Vegas, was described as a convention and event planner associated with Caesars Palace, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The affiliation with the gaming property could not be immediately confirmed by Casino.org.

The Review-Journal also reported Testagrossa was an instructor or lecturer at Las Vegas’ International School of Hospitality, based on information contained on the school’s website. His name apparently was removed from the school’s site after the arrest.

Testagrossa faces two counts of possession of visual pornography of a person less than 16, and a single count of preparing, advertising, or distributing pornography with a minor, court records quoted by the Review-Journal said. The case is apparently still pending in Nevada court.