Seattle – A man from Brooklyn, New York, was arrested yesterday in SeaTac, Washington, on criminal charges over his alleged plan to travel to Washington State for the sexual abuse of a minor.
According to court records, 28-year-old Rajesh Singh began communicating with an undercover officer in August 2020 about his desire to travel to Washington to sexually abuse a child under the age of 12. The undercover officer took part in an internet-based chat platform that is known to be used by people interested in pictures of child exploitation and child exploitation. The undercover agent created a fictional daughter under the age of 12, and Singh gave a detailed account of his desire to rape the child and film the sexual assault. At various times in the chats, Singh said he had previously molested children. Singh was seen on a flight to Seattle in New York, arrived at Sea-Tac, took a shuttle to a hotel in the area, and was arrested by Homeland Security Investigation agents. Singh appeared in the US District Court in Seattle today and remains in custody.
Rajesh Singh is charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of twelve, attempted child pornography production and attempted seduction of a minor. If convicted, Singh faces a mandatory 30-year prison term and life imprisonment. A federal district judge determines each sentence based on U.S. sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.
Acting US attorney Tessa Gorman from the western district of Washington and the special agent responsible for homeland security investigations, Robert Hammer, made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations agents are investigating the case.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Matthew Hampton is pursuing the case.
This case was filed under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The Safe Childhood project is led by U.S. law firms and the Department of Child Exploitation and Profanity (CEOS) of the Criminal Division, and provides federal, state, and local resources to better serve individuals who exploit children over the Internet locate, capture, and prosecute victims, identify and rescue. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, see www.justice.gov/psc.
A criminal complaint is just an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until they have been found unequivocally guilty in a court of law.
