Lawyers for North graduates Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, who are being charged with invasion of privacy for allegedly using a webcam at Rutgers to broadcast Ravi’s roommate’s sexual encounter with another man, say that the image did not include a sexual act.
The webcam stream allegedly used by Ravi and Wei in the September incident showed Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide days later, hugging and kissing another man — but nothing more, said Steve Altman, Ravi’s attorney, in published reports. It was only viewed on a single computer in Wei’s room, he said.
Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, and Wei, 18, of West Windsor, were charged with allegedly using the web camera in Ravi’s dorm room to transmit images of his roommate’s sexual encounter with another man live on the Internet. Each were charged with two counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly using the camera to view and transmit a live image of the student on the Piscataway campus on September 19.
Ravi is also charged with two additional counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly attempting to use the camera to view and transmit another encounter involving Clementi on September 21.
Under New Jersey’s invasion of privacy statutes, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another person without that person’s consent. It is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute such images. The penalty for conviction of a third degree offense can include up to five years in prison.
But once Clementi committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge, talk turned to upgrading the charges — possibly to hate crimes.
In published reports, Altman said that nothing was transmitted beyond Wei’s computer. Rubin Sinins, Wei’s attorney, echoed these comments in published reports, saying that no nudity was viewed or seen on the video. He also told other media outlets that he was unaware of any evidence that the video was recorded, reproduced, or disseminated.
According to reports, Ravi and Wei have both withdrawn from Rutgers.
Calls to both attorneys were not returned by press time.
