Former County Legislative Aide Accused Of Trying To Entice Minor Girl

TARRYTOWN, NY — A Westchester legislative aide — who was recently fired after reports of a video surfaced of him allegedly trying to arrange a sexual encounter with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl — was accused Monday in court of trying to entice a minor.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Anand Singh, 33, of Tarrytown, was charged with one count of attempted enticement of a minor.

The complaint said that Singh communicated with a person who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on a dating app and via text message.

Prosecutors said Singh made plans to meet the girl at an apartment building to engage in sexual activity.

He was presented Monday in White Plains federal court and detained pending a bail hearing Wednesday.

“Today’s arrest is a reminder of the inherent danger the internet could potentially pose to our youth and the critical importance to protect them from online predators,” Williams said.

According to the complaint, in December, Singh, then an employee of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, used a mobile dating app called Hily and text messages to entice a person posing as a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity with him.

Singh used the screen name “Anon” to communicate with the person on the app.

During their communications, prosecutors said Singh repeatedly expressed, in graphic and unambiguous terms, his desire to engage in sexual activity with the individual and made a plan to meet her at an apartment building in Newark, New Jersey, for the purpose of having sex.

In the early hours of Dec. 17, Singh went to the apartment building where he and the person posing as a 14-year-old girl planned to meet.

The charge of attempted enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Williams’s office said the investigation is ongoing and there may be other victims of this alleged conduct. If anyone has information to report concerning Singh, they should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

In response to the news of the arrest, Borgia said in a statement that she called on the FBI to investigate Singh two weeks ago and thanked the bureau for its swift response. She also thanked the Westchester County Department of Public Safety for its ongoing investigation and cooperation with all relevant law enforcement agencies.

Singh was fired April 13 when a video from the vigilante group that recorded him arriving at the meeting with the person posing as a 14-year-old girl was posted on YouTube and brought to the attention of Board of Legislators Chairwoman Catherine Borgia.

Westchester lawmakers demanded Borgia, a Democrat, resign as chairwoman over her handling of the accusations against Singh.

Borgia resigned as chairwoman Friday after a judge lifted a temporary restraining order that prevented the Board of Legislators from voting to oust her.

She is still a legislator for District 9 in Westchester County. The district is comprised of Briarcliff Manor, Croton-on-Hudson and Ossining and parts of Cortlandt and Peekskill.