Former Westchester aide Anand Singh charged with enticing minor after sting scandal
A former staffer for the Westchester County Board of Legislators was arrested Monday and charged with a felony after a video surfaced purportedly depicting the man, Anand Singh, arranging a sexual encounter with someone posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Singh was charged in federal court in White Plains with attempting to entice a minor. He remains in custody pending a bail hearing Wednesday.
His attorney, Kevin Conway, said that "he remains innocent at this stage of the proceedings."
"We look forward to investigating the allegations on his behalf," Conway added.
If convicted on the charge announced Monday, Singh faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. However, sentences are decided based on a range of factors, not just the maximum potential sentence.
What led to Anand Singh's arrest?
Singh was fired by Catherine Borgia, the former chair of the Westchester Board of Legislators, last month after a vigilante investigative group, OBL Global, posted a video purporting to depict him communicating with a minor and arranging for sex. The Federal Bureau of Investigation cited the video and other evidence collected by OBL Global in charging documents Monday.
In one exchange referenced by the FBI, Singh is said to have messaged the girl, who was actually an undercover OBL affiliate, that she was "too young" once she revealed herself to be 14 years old. However, Singh is said to have continued to entice her with requests for photos and, eventually, a sexual encounter.
According to the charging documents, Singh ultimately appeared at an apartment complex one evening last December in Newark, New Jersey, the purported home of the 14-year-old girl, believing he was going to meet with her for sex.
However, an individual that court papers describe as the person who posted the OBL video online, confronts Singh at that moment, and Singh flees back to his car, charging documents state.
What has been the fallout from the sting scandal so far?
The uproar over OBL's video has rippled through local politics, with Borgia resigning from her leadership role last week. Critics, even within her own party, had accused her of acting too slowly once she had learned of the allegations against Singh.
In a statement Monday, Borgia applauded Singh's arrest, noting that she "called on them to investigate 2 weeks ago."
Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can find him on Twitter at @quasiasher or send him an email at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.
New York State team reporter Chris Mckenna contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ex-Westchester County Board aide arrested after sex sting scandal
