Raphael Haim Golb was arraigned this morning in a New York criminal court on charges that he used dozens of aliases to conduct an Internet-based campaign to smear and harass scholars who disagreed with the theories of his father, Norman Golb, a University of Chicago professor who is a prominent expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The charges against Raphael Golb, who is 49, include 21 counts of identity theft in the third degree, one count of identity theft in the second degree, 30 counts of criminal impersonation in the second degree, 18 counts of forgery in the third degree, and one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, according to court documents.

Raphael Golb was arrested on Thursday, after the police served a search warrant at his Lower Manhattan home, and held overnight.

Mr. Golb allegedly used computers at New York University’s Bobst Library — one block from his home — to assail a number of Dead Sea Scrolls scholars on message boards, on blogs, and through e-mail.

In one case highlighted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Mr. Golb allegedly created an e-mail account in the name of Lawrence H. Schiffman, a professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies at NYU, and sent e-mail messages from the account to various people at the university “admitting” to plagiarism.

Norman Golb told The New York Times yesterday that his son “is an honorable man” and “could not have done such a thing.” The elder Mr. Golb suggested that the charges brought against his son were “a setup” designed to discredit the theory about the origin of the 2,000-year-old scrolls that he and his son share. He did not immediately return a message seeking comment from The Chronicle.

Raphael Golb was not required to enter a plea at his criminal arraignment. He was released on his own recognizance. His next court date was set for June 11, when a grand jury will decide whether to indict him on the charges. —Steve Kolowich