Arts Foundation Head Charged With Sex Tourism

The founder of a charity dedicated to nurturing young performing artists has been arrested in connection with an alleged relationship with a Russian ballet dancer he met when male dancer was 12, says The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kenneth Schneider was charged with two counts of sex tourism in an indictment returned January 14 and unsealed Tuesday. He was arrested Saturday in Cyprus, where authorities alleged he had fled to avoid prosecution.

According to the indictment, Mr. Schneider, founder of New York’s Apogee Foundation, met the dancer in Moscow in 1998 and embarked on a long-term sexual relationship. U.S. Attorney Michael Levy said the investigation was prompted by a civil suit the dancer filed in 2007, which claimed Mr. Schneider established the foundation to make illicit contact with young performers in the former Soviet Union.

Mr. Schneider’s lawyer said his client would defend himself against the “false allegations.”