Sentencing Day for Student Convicted of Spying on Tyler Clementi
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ABC/LOU ROCCO(NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.) — Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi will be sentenced Monday in a New Jersey courtroom on his conviction for using a webcam to spy on his roommate Tyler Clementi while was he having a gay sexual encounter in September 2010.
Ravi, 20, was convicted last March of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering and hindering arrest, stemming from his role in activating the webcam to observe Clementi’s date with a man in their dorm room.
Ravi was also convicted of encouraging others to spy during a second date and of intimidating Clementi for being gay.
Clementi, who was 18, killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge shortly after learning he had been spied upon. Still, the terse note he left beforehand did not indicate why he committed suicide and Ravi was not charged with his death.
The convictions carry a possible sentence of five to 10 years in prison. And because Ravi is a citizen of India and is in the U.S. on a green card, he could be deported following his sentencing. The U.S. deports most non-citizens convicted of felonies, with the exception of thefts of amounts under $10,000.
However, most legal experts believe that Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman will not impose the maximum sentence and will allow Ravi to make bail in what is expected to be a lengthy appeals process.
Ravi’s lawyers believe that their client should receive no jail time because he is a first-time offender who committed no violent act nor threatened to commit one.
In an interview with ABC’s 20/20 following his conviction, Ravi said his “dumb” kid actions did not spur the death of his former roommate Clementi. Ravi also claimed that he’s being made an example of and that the possible punishment he faces doesn’t fit the crime.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio