Via Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi rejected a plea bargain in court on Dec. 8 in an invasion of privacy case that was sparked by the suicide of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, after Mr. Ravi caught him being intimate with another man with a hidden web cam.
The plea deal offered by the Middlesex County prosecutor involved 600 hours of community service, probation and mandatory counseling. By rejecting this deal, Mr. Ravi now faces a trial, potential prison time and deportation.
Mr. Ravi is a citizen of India, but is in the United States legally. If he accepted the plea bargain, the state of New Jersey agreed to help him battle any deportation issues that might arise. Without this aid, the federal government has the ability to deport him to India if he is convicted.
Although not charged with Mr. Clementi’s death, Mr. Ravi will face 15 criminal counts that include invasion of privacy and tampering with witnesses and evidence. He is also being charged with bias intimidation, which if found guilty in the first degree, can carry up to a 20-year prison sentence in New Jersey.
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