A prominent 22-year-old advocate against sexual violence stands accused of living a double life by federal authorities who arrested him on charges of committing a number of sex crimes involving children, facing him with the possibility of life behind bars.
Joel Davis, a Columbia University student and the founding executive director of Youth to End Sexual Violence, faces a potential sentence of life in prison. He was taken into custody on Tuesday following a month-long sting operation by undercover FBI agents, according to a federal complaint.
Authorities say that between May 16 and this past Monday, Davis sent sexually explicit text messages, photos and videos of children to the undercover agents after responding to one of their posts on a fetish website.
During their chats, Davis allegedly expressed a desire to engage in sex with young children, and discussed plans to meet with a 9-year-old girl and 2-year-old girl for sexual activity through an agent.