Alleged Serial Rapist Darren Sharper Indicted On Federal Charges

Yes, there are even more charges against Darren Sharper now. On top of those brought by a state grand jury in New Orleans, a federal grand jury also brought charges in district court against the former NFL safety last Friday. The federal charges aren't for rape but instead focus on the drugs that Sharper is accused of slipping into victims' drinks before allegedly assaulting them.

In federal court, Sharper is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute Alprazolam, Diazepam, and Zolpidem with intent to commit rape and two counts of actually distributing them with intent to commit rape.

A former St. Bernard sheriff's deputy, Brandon Licciardi, 29, faces the same charges as Sharper as well as two counts of witness tampering and one count of impeding an investigation. Licciardi's name might sound familiar because he was one of three men, including Sharper, previously charged in New Orleans with multiple counts of rape.

According to the federal indictment, the conspiracy to distribute dates back to "at least January 2010 up to and including May 1, 2014." The distribution happened on two dates, the indictment says: Feb. 2, 2013 (the same day Licciardi is accused of committing an aggravated rape) and Sept. 23, 2013 (the same day Licciardi and Sharper are accused of committing rape).

This means Sharper now is charged with raping women in three different states: California, Arizona, and Louisiana. Similar accusations in Nevada are under investigation. One thing that sticks out in the Louisiana cases, as pointed out by USA Today, is they include multiple defendants who might be persuaded to flip on Sharper if that's the route prosecutors choose to take.

Image via Associated Press