A US federal prosecutor has filed charges against an Indian-origin man for allegedly trying to lure a kid for sex through a dating app after he was reportedly discovered in a YouTube sting operation.
According to Damian Williams, the federal prosecutor for Southern New York, “Anand Singh allegedly attempted to entice an individual, who he believed to be a 14-year-old, to meet for sexual purposes, via dating and text apps.”
“Today's arrest is a reminder of the inherent danger the internet could potentially pose to our youth and the critical importance of protecting them from online predators,” he added.
According to the court filing, the sting operation was orchestrated by non-officials who taped the conversation and informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by uploading it on YouTube.
According to the prosecutor's office, Singh, who worked for a local assembly of a suburban county, reportedly travelled to a New Jersey apartment building in December to meet the individual who had pretended to be a 14-year-old girl.
According to the complaint submitted against him, he reportedly “repeatedly expressed, in graphic and unambiguous terms, his desire to engage in sexual activity with the individual and made a plan to meet her” on the dating app “Hily”.
In her complaint, FBI special agent Erica Buonocore claimed that she was made aware of a YouTube video last month about communications between “Anand” and a person posing as a 14-year-old girl, who is only referred to as “Reporter-1” in the court document.
Buonocore said that she spoke with the “Reporter-2” who posted the video to YouTube and was able to identify Singh after gaining access to their correspondence as well as their phone and “Hily” account.
The lawsuit details the profane language Singh is accused of using when he scheduled a sexual rendezvous with “Reporter-1” while mistaking the individual for a 14-year-old.
Singh reportedly proceeded to visit “Reporter-1” after first hesitating because she informed him that her mother worked midnight shifts, according to the complaint.
Buonocore said that footage she looked at showed Singh departing when “Reporter-2” approached him in the foyer of the building after texting “Reporter-1” that he was coming over.
The crime If found guilty, Singh will get a required minimum sentence of 10 years in jail.
