Indian Citizen Ashish Kapoor Gets 121 Months in US Federal Prison Over Child Abuse Materials

A 28-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to more than 10 years in a United States federal prison after pleading guilty to transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Ashish Kapoor, also known as Romy Kapoor, was sentenced on July 8 by a U.S. District Court in Louisiana to 10 years and 1 month in prison, according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Smuggled Illicit Media via Messaging Apps

Federal court documents reveal that Kapoor travelled from Mumbai to New Orleans on February 21, 2024. Upon his arrival, he was carrying a mobile phone loaded with explicit videos and images depicting minors.

The investigation further disclosed that on April 11, 2024, Kapoor used the internet connection at his New Orleans residence to download additional material. Following his arrest by federal agents on December 20, 2024, Kapoor gave a recorded statement admitting that he actively viewed and received CSAM through WhatsApp.

Over 600 Exploitative Images Recovered

Special agents from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), assisted by the New Orleans Police Department, uncovered a trove of more than 600 illicit images on Kapoor's device.

According to prosecutors, Kapoor admitted that the files included highly severe depictions involving infants and toddlers.

Court Penalties

In addition to his 121-month prison term, the court ordered Kapoor to serve five years of supervised release, pay $3,000 in victim restitution, and register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) upon completion of his sentence.

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