Pretrial conferences begin today for Hung Truong, the 21-year-old Penn State student accused of indecently assaulting six women in September.

Attorneys and judges will decide the schedule of cases going to court for the upcoming court term, including the judicial fate of the highly publicized Snyder Hall assaults. Amid the hundreds of cases Centre County receives each term, only a few proceed to the trial phase.

Truong is accused of assaulting six women in their dorm rooms in Snyder Hall on Sept. 10. During his preliminary hearing Sept 20, Truong was ordered to stand trial for numerous counts, including harassment, criminal trespass, indecent assault, burglary and aggravated indecent assault.

District Attorney Ray Gricar refused to speculate on the case but said because of the extent of the charges, he plans to take the case to trial.

Because none of the charges Truong faces have mandatory minimum sentences, Gricar said he could not predict what type of sentencing Truong could face if found guilty.

Truong's attorney, Joseph Amendola, said he hopes to resolve the case without going to trial for a variety of reasons, mostly because Truong is not an American citizen.

Jeffrey Yoffe, an attorney who specializes in naturalization and immigration law, said Truong's citizenship status could influence a decision on whether his case goes to trial.

"If the potential sentence is one year or more of probation or jail, red flags should go up," Yoffe said.

Yoffe said as a non-citizen, Truong would be in the best position in court if he had permanent resident status. He added that the Immigration and Naturalization Service might become involved in the case, depending on Truong's immigration status.

Although Yoffe said deportation is possible, he added it is the extreme case scenario. If Truong is sent to jail, the INS could detain him — which would prolong his jail term.

Amendola would not comment further on what he expects in the Truong case. He said he was unsure of the status of international relations between the United States and Truong's home country of Vietnam and that these relations will likely affect whether the INS aggressively pursues deportment if Truong's case goes to trial and he is found guilty.

Amendola also said that if the trial is held, heavy media coverage could affect how it is conducted.

"A change in venue is a possibility . . . because it was so blown out of proportion, it puts everyone in a tough position," Amendola said.

Truong, who was suspended from Penn State following his arrest, is now living in Harrisburg.