Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said that a former Plainsboro man entered a guilty plea today, admitting he was responsible for attempting to activate a webcam in his Rutgers University dorm room to spy on his roommate and another male.
Dharun Ravi, 24, pleaded guilty to a count of attempted invasion of privacy, a third degree offense, saying he tried to activate a camera in his dorm room on September 21, 2010, believing that his roommate, T.C., and another male, were going to engage in sexual activity.
Ravi also admitted he invited other people to observe the activity. Ravi indicated he believed the sexual activity was going to occur based upon what he observed two days earlier.
The guilty plea concludes the case against Ravi, who was convicted of 15 counts in 2012, but was granted a new trial after his conviction was overturned by the Appellate Division of Superior Court on September 9, 2016. Included were a series of bias charges that the court dismissed despite a jury finding of guilt at Ravi’s trial.
Had the case been retried and Ravi were convicted a second time, the law would prohibit the court from imposing any sentence that was more severe than the penalties meted out at the original sentencing.
Following the appellate court decision, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion for clarification and reconsideration since the prosecutor’s office disagreed with the Appellate Division’s characterization that the prosecutor’s office conceded all bias charges should be overturned based on a recent court case. On October 11, 2016, the Appellate Division rejected the motion but corrected the record.
After he was convicted, Ravi was sentenced to serve 30 days at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center, was placed on probation for three years, was ordered to serve 300 hours of community service and, was ordered to participate in cyberbullying counselling. He also was fined $10,000.
Ravi subsequently satisfied the penalties and served the sentence, although he was released from the county jail after 20 days because of good behavior.
The guilty plea was entered following negotiations by Middlesex County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Christie Bevacqua.
Prosecutor Carey said “reaching the plea agreement was a reasonable way to resolve the case in view of the appellate court decision, which dismissed a series of criminal bias charges that had been levelled against the defendant by a grand jury in Middlesex County.”
“Our sympathies remain with the victim’s family, which continues to work to protect our at-risk youth,” Prosecutor Carey said.
The guilty plea was entered during a hearing in New Brunswick today before Superior Court Judge Joseph Paone, who re-imposed the original sentence, noting that all the terms of the sentence have been fulfilled by the defendant.