Akshay Rajshekar
A university freshman already facing child pornography charges was arrested in Washington on Monday after allegedly attempting to solicit sex from a minor in a Craigslist sting.
Akshay Rajshekar, an 18-year-old student from Salisbury, allegedly responded to a Craigslist ad posted by the FBI and Metropolitan Police’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Rajshekar reportedly believed he was communicating with the father of a 12-year-old girl. The freshman was reportedly looking to meet with the supposed father — who told Rajshekar he was interested in incest — to have sex with the minor, according to U.S. court documents.
Rajshekar is awaiting trial in this state for charges of distributing child pornography in Wicomico County in the fall, according to several news reports. However, there are no available court records for those charges.
On March 18, Rajshekar initiated contact online with an undercover officer and expressed a desire to meet with like-minded people, a charging document stated.
“I really want to experience what it is like,” Rajshekar allegedly wrote in a chat obtained by investigators. “I have been trying to meet other pedos online with similar interest … [it’s] hard as hell.”
He reportedly sent the undercover officer six images of child pornography, the document states. Rajshekar eventually set up a Monday meeting during which the document alleged he planned to have sex with the fictitious young girl and exchange pornography with the undercover officer.
Police arrested Rajshekar at about 5:30 p.m. Monday. His backpack contained a laptop and condoms, according to police records.
Rajshekar faces charges for transporting child pornography across state lines and traveling with the intent to have sex with a minor. These charges carry a maximum of 40 and 30 years in prison, respectively, according to the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University Law School.
Rajshekar is being held without bond pending an April 4 hearing before Judge Deborah Robinson, according to Bill Miller, spokesman of Washington’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The university’s media relations department declined to comment on the case.
“The University of Maryland has a policy allowing students due process, just like anyone else in the criminal justice system,” the department wrote in a statement. “If a student is convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony, they are subject to our Code of Student Conduct. We are working closely with law enforcement officials to better understand the facts of this case.”
Rajshekar has not received any sanctions from the university, however. A student can be suspended before conviction if he or she is perceived as a threat to public safety or disruption to the normal school environment, said Student Conduct Director Andrea Goodwin.
