NYC Radio: Dave Herman Pleads 'Not Guilty'

Dave Herman

Former radio personality Dave Herman was arraigned in federal court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted sexual abuse, according to nj.com.

U.S. District Judge Faith Hochberg also set a June 30 trial date for Herman, who was immediately remanded back into custody.

Herman, 77, has been in federal custody since he was arrested last Oct. 24 at the St. Croix airport on a charge of attempting to transport a 7-year-old Bergen County girl to the U.S. Virgin Islands to sexually abuse her there. Authorities allege Herman, who has a home in St. Croix, went to the airport with the intent of meeting the girl and her mother, so he could then bring the girl to his house and abuse her.

If convicted, Herman faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life, authorities have said.

Herman's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has said Herman maintains his innocence and intends to fight the federal charge.

Herman was a disc jockey for decades on New York’s WNEW 102.7 FM. He still has legions of fans in the New Jersey and New York region, many of whom remember him ruling the rock airwaves during the 1970s and after with his calm, smooth demeanor on the “Dave Herman Rock and Roll Morning Show.”

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According to documents, in November of 2012, Herman began a series of chats on a website with an undercover officer from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Herman believed that he was communicating with a 36-year-old single mother with a then 6-year-old daughter.

Over the course of the following months, Herman had multiple telephone and online communications with the officer during which he allegedly indicated his desire to engage in sexual activity with the officer’s fictitious daughter, according to CBSLocal/NY.