Washington Blade - November 5, 2004
Lou Chibbaro Jr.,Yusef Najafi, Joe Crea

U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) was among the guests to attend an Oct. 30 dedication ceremony for a new building for Food & Friends, the charitable group that delivers meals and groceries to homebound people with HIV and other illnesses. The new, state-of-the-art facility, located at 219 Riggs Road, NE, consists of 25,000 square feet of working space and will enable the group to serve at least 3,000 clients each day, according to Food & Friends Executive Director Craig Shniderman. Shniderman said the group outgrew the building at 58 L Street, SE, where it had been based, when the number of clients served each day increased from 325 to more than 1,000. He said about two-thirds of the group's clients are people with HIV, with the remaining consisting of people with breast, lung and colon cancer and Lou Gehrig's and Alzheimer's diseases. Through a capital campaign, the group raised $8.7 million to purchase a 2.5-acre tract of land and build a facility that will allow its employees and volunteers to meet the needs of a growing client base, Shniderman said. Through the help of Sarbanes and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Congress approved a $2.4 million grant that went toward the building project. The group serves clients in Maryland and Virginia as well as D.C. Food & Friends currently has about 55 employees and more than 750 regular volunteers.

George Mason administrator accused of producing underage porn A 55-year-old Virginia university administrator was arrested by D.C. police on Oct. 26 at the Days Inn motel in northeast D.C., for possessing and producing videos of sexual encounters he had with underage males. According to a news release from Fairfax County Police, Ronald J. Sinacore was initially charged with two felony counts on Oct. 19 for possession and production of pornography with an underage partner who was 16 at the time. Sinacore was released the following Monday by Fairfax County Court Chief Judge Michael P. McWeeny, on a $20,000 bond, the Washington Post reported.

After reviewing the confiscated tapes, investigators discovered the involvement of six other males, three of whom where under 18. Another male told police Sinacore asked for $10,000, and threatened to release a tape of the victim "having gay sex," police said. Two days after his release, Sinacore was charged with three more felonies, including extortion and using the videos against his victims for sex.

Sinacore worked as associate director of equity and affirmative action at George Mason University, according to spokesperson Daniel Walsch, where Sinacore counseled students about sexual harassment. Walsch said that even though it was never discussed, the university was aware that Sinacore is gay. The Post reported that when officers returned to Sinacore's home in Northern Virginia for a second arrest, he had left behind suicidal notes and was missing. D.C. police transferred Sinacore to Howard University Hospital after finding him "sick and semiconscious" at a Days Inn in northeast D.C. Fairfax County Police told the Blade that Sinacore is currently in custody of D.C. police, waiting to be transported to Northern Virginia's Fairfax County public jail.

Wolfson to headline fund-raiser for Equality Maryland Equality Maryland plans to hold its second annual Jazz Brunch fund-raiser on Nov. 21. The event will feature Freedom to Marry Executive Director Evan Wolfson, one of the country's leading advocates of marriage rights for same-sex couples. He was recently named to Time magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People in the World." The event is scheduled to take place at Center Stage Theater in Baltimore from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. General admission is $75. Visit Equality Maryland's Web site, www.equalitymaryland.org, to purchase tickets for the event.

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