A 70-year-old Zion man has been indicted on five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, accused of sexually assaulting two young female family members over a span of nearly two decades. Ricardo R. Anderson remains held in the Lake County Jail after a judge granted prosecutors’ request to detain him pending trial, with an arraignment set for Tuesday.
According to Lake and McHenry County Scanner, prosecutors allege Anderson assaulted one girl between 2003 and 2009 and a second girl between 2021 and 2023, both in Zion. Both alleged victims were under 13 at the time, with the first girl between 6 and 11 years old and the second between 8 and 12 years old, prosecutors say. Both girls are members of Anderson’s family, according to the outlet’s reporting.
Allegations of Hush Money and a Tearful Apology
Prosecutors allege Anderson gave the first victim money to stay quiet about the abuse. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said Anderson later cried and apologized to the girl in a garage a couple of years after the alleged abuse ended. McConnell also said the alleged abuse occurred inside a family home while other relatives, including the victims’ parents, were present.
The second alleged victim gave a forensic interview at the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center in 2025. McConnell said Anderson allegedly admitted to his son that he had sexual contact with the first victim, though she noted that Anderson did not make admissions to police himself.
The Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center conducts forensic interviews in allegations of child abuse and coordinates with investigators and prosecutors, while also connecting children and families with advocacy and other support. Illinois law recognizes a child’s right to have a forensic interview conducted by an accredited children’s advocacy center serving the area, when the service is accessible. The center’s role is to provide a child-focused setting and coordinate the response; the interview itself is part of the investigation, not a finding that an allegation has been proved. The center’s description of its services and Illinois’ forensic-interview law outline that framework.
Judge Orders Detention Ahead of Arraignment
The Zion Police Department arrested Anderson on a warrant and transported him to the Lake County Jail, the report states. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office then filed a petition to detain him pending trial, and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted that petition following a detention hearing.
A pretrial risk assessment scored Anderson a 4 out of 6 for risk of new criminal activity and flagged him for potential new violent criminal activity, per the same account. He is scheduled to appear in court again on October 20 for arraignment and remains held at the Lake County Jail in the meantime.
Illinois’ pretrial detention law treats predatory criminal sexual assault of a child as an offense for which detention may be sought. Detention is not automatic: the State must establish by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant likely committed an eligible offense, poses a real and present safety threat, and cannot be safely released with conditions. The court’s decision to hold Anderson pending trial is therefore a pretrial ruling, not a determination of guilt. The statute governing detention hearings sets out those requirements.
Defense Disputes Allegations, Cites Health Conditions
Anderson’s attorney, Lake County Assistant Public Defender Gregg Wolpoff, said Anderson denies the allegations and denies making the statements attributed to him by family members. Wolpoff told the outlet that Anderson is paralyzed from the waist down, uses a wheelchair, has prostate cancer, and depends on around-the-clock care from his wife. He also said most of Anderson’s prior criminal record is more than 20 years old.
McConnell countered that police observed Anderson using a motorized scooter, the report notes. Anderson’s criminal history includes a sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections for possession of a firearm, along with convictions for unlawful restraint and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, according to the outlet.
What a Conviction Would Mean
Under Illinois law, a conviction for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child against two or more victims requires a sentence of natural life in prison, the outlet reports. That mandatory penalty is what places Anderson at risk of spending the rest of his life behind bars if he is found guilty on the charges stemming from the two alleged victims.
The two-victim provision in Illinois’ sentencing statute applies to an adult convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child against two or more people, whether the offenses arose from the same act or from separate, related or unrelated acts. That provision is distinct from the statute’s separate rule for a second or subsequent conviction. In Anderson’s case, the life sentence described by prosecutors would depend on a conviction meeting the two-victim provision; the indictment and allegations alone do not establish guilt. Illinois’ statute spells out the sentencing rule.
