Norwood Man Indicted for Drugging, Robbing Gay Men

NORWOOD, MA - A Norwood man adopted a fictitious persona as a wealthy European émigré and took part in a scheme in which he drugged gay men and robbed their homes, investigators said.

Riccardo D’Orsainville, 50, was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury late Friday. He was charged with one count of kidnapping and three counts each of poisoning, larceny over $250, and receiving stolen property, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office and Boston Police Department.

Investigators say that D’Orsainville set up rendezvous with at least three men who took him to their Boston homes. While at their residences with D’Orsainville, the men passed out after drinking alcohol with him. When they woke up, they realized that thousands of dollars worth of property was missing. The stolen items range from a tuxedo and designer neckties to rare and expensive paintings and sculptures. In one case, the victim woke to find his hands tied behind his back, police said.

“This case was particularly troubling to me due to the circumstances involved in these incidents,” Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said in a statement. “I would like to acknowledge the great work of my detectives and prosecutors from the DA’s office who worked very hard to get justice for these victims.”

The three incidents took place from March-April of 2013. One of the alleged victims met D’Orsainville in a bar while the other two encounters were arraigned online.

The suspect remained unknown until one of the victims mentioned the case to an acquaintance. Police say that the description of D’Orsainville given to the acquaintance was similar to a person he knew was convicted of defrauding the Boston Veterans Affairs Research Institute, Inc.

Police were able to get a photo identification thanks to the tip and Boston police detectives obtained a search warrant for D’Orsainville's home, recovering items stolen from the victims.

D’Orsainville was arraigned in February and has been held on $250,000 bail since.

No court date has been scheduled.