STAFF REPORTS


BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Sachin Aji Bhaskar, 22, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with sexual enticement of a minor. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the case, stated that on August 11, 2018, the defendant, using a social media application, contacted a girl in Buffalo who was then 11 years old but claimed to be 15. In messages on the app, Bhaskar confirmed that the girl would lose her virginity to him. The defendant subsequently picked her up by car, and returned her home approximately three hours later after having sex with her.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroder and is being held pending a detention hearing on November 21, 2018.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.