An Indian man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison in the United States after being convicted of transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Ashish Kapoor, also known as Romy Kapoor, 28, was sentenced on July 8 by a US district court in Louisiana. The court sentenced him to 121 months (10 years and one month) in prison after he pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography and possessing child pornography, according to the US Department of Justice.
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Received child porn material through WhatsApp
According to the the department of justice, Kapoor travelled from Mumbai to New Orleans on February 21, 2024, carrying a mobile phone that contained videos and images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Court documents further stated that on April 11, 2024, Kapoor downloaded a video depicting the sexual abuse of a child using an internet connection linked to his residence in New Orleans.
Kapoor was arrested on December 20, 2024, by special agents from the United States Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from officers of the New Orleans Police Department.
During a recorded statement following his arrest, Kapoor admitted that he had viewed and received child sexual abuse material through WhatsApp on his mobile phone.
600 images of sexual abuse of minors
Investigators found that Kapoor possessed more than 600 images depicting the sexual abuse of minors. According to the court documents, he further admitted that the material included depictions involving infants and toddlers, as well as content involving sadistic or masochistic conduct.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed five years of supervised release, during which Kapoor will remain under court-ordered supervision after completing his prison term. He was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $200 and $3,000 in restitution to a victim.
The court further directed that Kapoor register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act upon his release from prison.
