WESTLAKE : Father Sentenced in Child Abuse

A Ventura County Municipal Court judge sentenced a Westlake man to 30 days in jail, three years probation and counseling in connection with charges that he made his adopted daughter live in a back-yard racquetball court for more than a year, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Richard Russo, 49, a longtime area stockbroker, must report to the Ventura County Jail on Nov. 8 to begin serving his time through a weekend program, Deputy Dist. Atty. Dee Corona said.

Judge Bruce Clark sentenced him Monday. Russo and his wife, Charlotte, each had been charged with one felony count of child abuse and one misdemeanor count of child abuse.

Richard Russo pleaded guilty in September to the misdemeanor charge. Charolotte Russo is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

At Monday’s sentencing of Richard Russo, the victim, now 16 and living with foster parents, told the judge that she felt badly about her father’s conviction. But she also said she believed that jail time would do Richard Russo some good for the abuse she suffered, Corona said.

Investigators said the girl told them that Charlotte Russo had beat her regularly and first began locking her in the bathroom of their back-yard racquetball court several years ago. The Russos could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Corona said Richard Russo was allowed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge because he was not as culpable for the abuse as his wife.

“He wasn’t the active abuser,” the prosecutor said. “He was the aider and abettor.”