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…