A man from Colorado State University has been federally indicted for inappropriate sexual behavior towards children from the area.
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, has announced that 29-year-old Chandan M. Bhangale has been indicted on two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of minors and one count of cyberstalking of minors from the Fox Valley area.
Bhangale is alleged to have targeted the minors via social media and messaging apps, gaining their trust and collecting personal information.
Then, he induced them to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and proceeded to blackmail the children to coerce their compliance in his actions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to say, “It is further alleged that Bhangale convinced the underage victims that if they did not comply with his demands, there would be serious consequences, ranging from public disclosure of their explicit videos to death or serious bodily harm to the victims or their immediate family members.”
This manipulation led the victims to engage in self-harm, cut their hair, and produce CSAM.
This case was investigated by the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Appleton and Hortonville Police Departments, and other agencies.
If convicted, the 29-year-old could face up to 35 years in federal prison.
