>Student guilty of hate crimes for spying on gay roommate
By Jonathan Allen and Aman Ali
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey | Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:14pm EDT
(Reuters) – A former Rutgers University student who used a computer webcam to spy on a sexual tryst of his roommate, who later committed suicide, was found guilty of hate crimes on Friday in a case that put a national spotlight on gay bullying.
Dharun Ravi, 20, faces 10 years in prison on the most serious charge of bias intimidation against Tyler Clementi, 18, who committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge three days after learning his gay encounter was seen by webcam.
Ravi, who invited others to watch the feed from the camera mounted on top of his computer, was not charged with causing Clementi’s death.
Ravi, an Indian citizen who has lived most of his life in the United States, will be sentenced on May 21 and remains free on $25,000 bail after surrendering his passport. He faces possible deportation.
Some legal experts said the case elevated the abuse of social media from a common prank, as Ravi’s lawyer argued, to criminal behavior.
https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/us-crime-rutgers-idUSBRE82F0VP20120316