Details Released: Ex-Aide To Former Westchester BOL Chair Tried Meeting Teen For Sex, Feds Say

Tarrytown resident Anand Singh, age 33, was arrested on Monday, May 1, and charged with attempting to meet a person who he thought was a 14-year-old girl at an apartment building in Newark, New Jersey for sex, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. 

• Earlier Report - 'Institutional Misogyny': Chairwoman Resigns From Westchester BOL After Staffer Meets With Teen

According to federal officials, Singh, a former employee of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, began using an app called "Hily" to message an individual posing as a 14-year-old girl in December 2022. 

Singh would allegedly send text messages and messages over "Hily" to entice the individual to engage in sexual activity with him and used the screen name "Anon" to do so. 

In these communications, Singh expressed "in graphic and unambiguous terms" his desire to engage in sexual activity with the individual and made a plan to meet them at their apartment building in Newark to do so, federal officials said.

In the early hours of Saturday, Dec. 17, Singh went to this building intending to meet with the person who had been posing as the 14-year-old.

Singh is now charged with one count of attempted enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. 

He was presented in White Plains federal court on Monday and was then detained pending a bail hearing on Wednesday, May 3. 

US Attorney Damian Williams said that the 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.”

Westchester County Legislator and ex-Chair Catherine Borgia, who fired Singh on Thursday, April 13 after a video of his attempted meeting was discovered, thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their "swift response" to his alleged crimes. 

Borgia stepped down as Chairwoman on Friday, April 28 following calls for her resignation after Singh's misconduct was discovered. 

• Earlier Report - Staffer Fired For Meeting With Teen Girl Leads To 'Witch Hunt,' Westchester BOL Chair Says

The investigation into Singh's alleged crimes is still ongoing and there may be other victims, federal officials said. Anyone with information to report regarding Singh is asked to call the FBI at  1-800-CALL-FBI. 

This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates. 

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