HORRIBLE

Ex-Columbia Student Known for Fighting Sexual Violence Pleads Guilty to Sex With Minor, Child Porn Charges

Joel Davis, who started a nonprofit that aimed to end sexual violence against children, could face life in prison.

A former Columbia University student who started a nonprofit aiming to end sexual violence against children pleaded guilty to sex with a minor and child porn charges on Thursday. Joel Davis admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old boy in 2018 and to possessing pictures of videos of child porn—which included images of children under the age of 12. He also admitted to receiving and distributing material containing child porn using a cellphone. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. “Davis rightly faces a lengthy prison sentence for victimizing children,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. Davis, who started the international group called Youth to End Sexual Violence, is scheduled for sentencing on May 7.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to remove references to Davis as a Nobel Prize nominee.