New Jersey – from www.nj.com – Two Rutgers University students have been charged with invading another student’s privacy by secretly placing a camera in the student’s dormitory room and transmitting a sexual encounter over the Internet.

Dharun Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro and Molly Wei,18, of Princeton, have been charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for using the camera to view and transmit a live image of an 18-year-old student in Piscataway on Sept. 19, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan announced today.

Kaplan said Ravi is also charged with two additional counts of invasion of privacy for attempting to use the camera to view and transmit another encounter involving the same 18-year-old student on Sept. 21.

Wei surrendered to Rutgers University police Monday and was released on her own recognizance. Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police this morning and was released on $25,000 bail.

Kaplan said an investigation began after someone tipped off Rutgers police that the camera had been placed in the 18-year-old student’s dorm room without permission. Police subsequently filed the charges against Wei and Ravi.

The prosecutor said under New Jersey’s invasion-of-privacy statutes, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person’s consent. It is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute such images.

New Jersey (CBS 2) — Shocking allegations of spying levied against pair of 18-year-old students exploded on the Rutgers University campus on Tuesday.

Dharun Ravi of Plainsboro and Molly W. Wei of Princeton were charged with invasion of privacy for allegedly secretly placing a camera in another student’s dorm room and transmitting a sexual encounter over the Internet.

Middlesex County prosecutors charged Ravi and Wei each with two counts of invasion of privacy. They said the pair transmitted a live image of another 18-year-old student in Piscataway on two separate days earlier this month.

CBS 2′s John Metaxas spoke with students on the Rutgers campus who used terms like “disgusting” and “extremely inappropriate” to describe the alleged spying.

“I mean we all live in such close conditions with each other, it’s like breach of privacy…I think it’s gross,” Kate Perkowski said.

“Extremely rude and it’s really obscene. I just can’t imagine someone would do that,” Preston Chang said.

Under New Jersey’s privacy law it is a crime to transmit or even view images that depict nudity or sexual contact with an individual without that person’s consent. Possible penalties include a prison term of up to five years.

Rutgers would not comment, but issued a statement saying: “The University takes this matter seriously and has policies in place to deal with this type of student behavior.”

Students on campus were upset and said the incident was a tremendous violation of privacy.

“Let them know that you shouldn’t play around with that. That’s serious. That’s someones privacy right there,” Jovanny Hernandez said.

“Its my dorm. Its my private space. I expect… my privacy to be respected and to be able to do whatever I want. There should be no one there invading my privacy,” Tiwa Adediji said.

from www.nbcnewyork.com – Updated 6:41 AM EDT, Wed, Sep 29, 2010

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NBCDFW.com

Rutgers may be the largest public university in New Jersey, but allegations against two freshmen in the school imply a need for a lesson in class.

Dharun Ravi, of Plainsboro, and Molly Wei, of Princeton, both 18, each face two counts of invasion of privacy for secretly placing a camera in another 18-year-old student’s dorm room and livestreaming that student’s sexual encounter on the Internet.

Authorities say Ravi faces another two counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly trying to use the hidden camera to tape the same victim in a previous encounter two days before the second one hit the web.

Wei surrendered to cops in New Brunswick on Monday and was released on her own recognizance. Ravi turned himself in this morning and was released on $25,000 bail.

College police initially launched an investigation after finding out a hidden camera had been placed in the victim’s Piscataway dorm room without permission. Police later filed charges against Wei and Ravi.

According to New Jersey law, illegally collecting or viewing images showing sexual contact involving another individual without that individual’s consent is a fourth-degree crime. It’s a third-degree crime to transmit or distribute such images. The penalty for the latter offense carries a possible prison term of up to five years.