New York: An Indian-American man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of sex-related crimes, and admitted he was a part of 30 online communities, which traded sexually-explicit images of minors.
Mayank M. Patel, 27, of Lexington, entered a guilty plea in the US Eastern District Court on two counts: one count of generating visual depictions of a juvenile engaging in sexually explicit behaviour and another count of distributing and producing visual images, as per media.
Members of the Electronic Crime Branch with Kentucky State Police went to Patel's home on January 23, 2023 after they suspected him of distributing and possessing explicit material.
According to court documents, Patel's phone number was found on dozens of online communities tied to child sex abuse. Officers found films and images of obscene material involving young children after examining his laptop and iPhone, according to court filings. His smart phone was used to create each and every photograph.
According to testimony given in court, Patel created pornographic photos and films with a victim who was seven years old at the time. Patel has belonged to 30 secret communities, one private group, for at least three months, and other private groups for an unspecified period of time.
For his conduct, Patel faces a maximum of 50 years in prison, $500,000 in fines and supervised release between 10 years and life.