A grand jury has indicted a High School North graduate and former Rutgers University student on invasion of privacy charges for allegedly using a webcam at Rutgers to broadcast his roommate’s sexual encounter with another man.
His roommate, Tyler Clementi, later committed suicide.
Dharun Ravi, of Plainsboro, was indicted on two counts of invasion of privacy and two counts of attempted invasion of privacy, but the grand jury also found that he “acted with bias” because his actions against Tyler Clementi “were intended to intimidate” Clementi and his partner “because of their sexual orientation,” said a press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
“The panel further charged that T.C. [Tyler Clementi] reasonably believed he was a target because of his sexual orientation,” the press release stated. “Under state law, bias is charged a degree higher than the underlying crime, in this case, invasion of privacy. Accordingly, the defendant has also been charged with two counts of second degree bias and two counts of third degree bias.”
A second degree bias offense carries a prison exposure of five to 10 years, the press release stated.
Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, and his friend and fellow North graduate Molly Wei, 18, of West Windsor, were charged in September 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. Ravi was 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.
Following a lengthy and extensive criminal investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Rutgers University Police Department, the press release stated, evidence was presented to the grand jury on April 13. The indictment was handed up on April 20.
Not only is Ravi facing the invasion of privacy and bias charges, but the grand jury added additional charges. “Based on events and actions determined during the on-going investigation, the grand jury concluded that Ravi also attempted to mislead investigators and witnesses in various ways,” the press release stated. “As a result, the grand jury charged Ravi with three counts of tampering with evidence, three counts of hindering his own apprehension, and one count of witness tampering.”
Specifically, the grand jury found that Ravi deleted a post on is Twitter account that alerted other’s to view Clementi’s second encounter with his partner and replaced it with a false post on Twitter intended to mislead the investigation.
“Additionally, it was charged that Ravi tried to convince witnesses not to testify against him and provided investigators with information intended to mislead them in their investigation,” the press release stated. There has not yet been a court date set.
As for Wei, authorities determined that charges that were previously filed against her would not be presented to the grand jury at this time, the press release stated. She was charged with two counts of invasion of privacy from the incident. “The charges are pending, and the case against her remains active,” said the press release.
