PORT RICHEY MD CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN

He Was Subject Of Drug Dispensing Investigation

TAMPA - A Port Richey pain doctor was arrested Monday on federal
charges after investigators found evidence of child pornography on
his office and home computers, officials said.

Richard Carino was under investigation by the Drug Enforcement
Administration on allegations of illegally dispensing drugs online
when investigators searched his office in July, according to a
complaint filed in U.S. District Court by FBI Special Agent Susan Bucenel.

Participating in the search was Detective Bill Davis of the Pasco
County Sheriff's Office.

Carino's wife, Autumn, told Davis that her husband had been viewing
child pornography on his home computer, according to the federal
complaint. Autumn Carino showed Davis several sexually explicit
pictures of girls ages 11 to 15 on the computer, the complaint
states. Autumn Carino also told the detective she had seen a video in
the computer of a young girl performing a sex act on a man, according
to the complaint.

Investigators made copies of the hard drives of Carino's home and
office computers. As the investigation continued, Autumn Carino
called Davis on Aug. 25 about a domestic dispute. Autumn Carino told
the detective she had caught her husband looking at child pornography
on his computer, and the two fought. Deputies said they found 10.1
grams of marijuana, rolling papers, a marijuana pipe and surgical
clamps on Carino's nightstand, according to a sheriff's office report.

Richard Carino was arrested then on charges of possession of drug
paraphernalia and marijuana, as well as domestic violence.

The misdemeanor possession charges were dropped in the fall and
prosecutors agreed to allow Carino to enter a family violence
diversion program instead of prosecuting the misdemeanor domestic
battery charge. Under the agreement, if Carino does not successfully
complete the program, his criminal case will be litigated. It was not
clear Monday what his status was on that case.

According to the federal complaint, forensic investigators found
evidence that Carino's office computer at one time contained files
with names such as "extreme rape pedo" and "pedo porn.jpg." The
images no longer existed in the computer when it was analyzed, the
complaint states.

Similar evidence was found on the home computer, as well as video of
sex acts involving children as young as 6, the complaint states. The
home computer also contained 14 photographs described as child
pornography, according to the federal complaint.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis contributed to this report.