Crime
Indian man and his American wife charged for Making Sex Videos of Teens will Face February Trial
Anuj Chopra and Leslie Chopra
Photo: Ottawa County Police.
The couple, Anuj and Leslie Chopra, allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to their 16-year-old daughter’s friends.
An Indian man and his American wife from Hudsonville, Michigan will face trial on Feb. 6, 2018 after being charged with three felony counts for soliciting their daughter’s teenage friends to have sex while they recorded them.
While Leslie Chopra would have to stand trial in front of a jury on Jan.10, her husband Anuj Chopra, a green card holder and an Indian citizen, was scheduled to face trial on Dec.13 this year. The couple will now face a February trial.
The couple was investigated after nude photos of a student were circulated at Hudsonville High School. Parents of students accused the couple, both 42, that led to charges.
Leslie has been charged for distributing obscene material to children and using a computer to commit a crime. She allegedly used Snapchat to ask her daughter’s friends to have sex on camera in exchange for cash. She would send sexually explicit material to them. The couple also allegedly sent hundreds of inappropriate and sexually charged messages to other teens and even met their victims through their 16-year-old daughter.
Assistant Ottawa County Prosecutor Jennifer Kuiper-Weise had said in June this year that a teenage boy used his mother’s cell phone to take a photo of sexually explicit messages that Leslie Chopra sent before they were deleted on Snapchat. The message includes sexual acts she wanted to do with the teen, reported Michigan Live.
Defense attorney Damian Nunzio said his clients were victims of “mob mentality”. Anuj was accused of human trafficking, which his lawyer said was preposterous. Anuj had allegedly told two teenage boys that he would pay them $1,000 to have sex on camera. The lawyer said Anuj had joked, “it was just banter, it was fun. This is not human trafficking,” Nunzo said, reported the Holland Sentinel.
Both Anuj and Leslie are out on bail. Anuj was considered at flight risk and his bail was held at $250,000 and he was asked to surrender his passport.
Leslie is facing up to six years in prison and/or up to $15,000 in fines, and Anuj Chopra is facing up to 20 years in prison and/or up to a $20,000 fine for his charge, reported Holland Sentinel.