An NYPD officer, Travis Desouza, has been formally charged with multiple crimes including attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor. Desouza, who was part of the Law Enforcement Explorers program—a youth initiative of the NYPD—allegedly used a digital platform to send sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover officer. During an arraignment, Criminal Court Judge Maria Gonzalez set a follow-up court date for June 11, as reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
The investigation into Desouza's conduct began in October 2024, and quickly intensified to reveal the officer's attempt to quickly gain trust and proceed to indecently communicate with the supposed minor. The 35-year-old officer from Briarwood, asked the age of the undercover officer, and even after learning their purported age of 14, continued to engage inappropriately. According to the allegations, he went as far as to send an explicit image via the Snapchat app on October 10, 2024, at about 10:11 p.m.
District Attorney Katz expressed her concern for the breach of trust by stating, "The Explorers is an amazing program and our kids need to trust and have faith in its leaders," according to the press release. She also acknowledged the NYPD units involved in the investigation. If convicted, Desouza faces a prison sentence of 1 1/3 to four years.
The undercover operations were conducted by officers from the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn over several days, during which Desouza, unaware of the sting, allegedly escalated his actions. The investigation was part of an effort to safeguard youth, particularly those involved in NYPD-related programs. Assistant District Attorney Manaal Khokhar is handling the prosecution, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Christine Oliveri, Bureau Chief, and Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Gerard Brave. These details were outlined in the charges brought by the Queens District Attorney's office.
