(CNN) — An Ivy League student who waged a public campaign to end rape and sexual abuse has been arrested in New York in connection with claims he intended to engage in sexual activity with children as young as 2, according to federal prosecutors.
Joel Davis, a student at Columbia University, was arrested Tuesday on child pornography and attempted child exploitation charges, said prosecutors, who based the allegations on testimony from two undercover FBI agents who allegedly exchanged text messages with Davis.
Davis, 22, founded and serves as executive director of Youth to End Sexual Violence, an international organization that claims to be youth-led and "dedicated to eliminating the use of rape and sexual violence in conflict," according to its website.
In charging Davis, federal authorities cited his public charity efforts, asserting he "displayed the highest degree of hypocrisy by his alleged attempts to sexually exploit multiple minors."
"As if this wasn't repulsive enough, Davis allegedly possessed and distributed utterly explicit images of innocent infants and toddlers being sexually abused by adults. Crimes against children such as those alleged are taken very seriously by the FBI," William Sweeney Jr., FBI assistant director-in-charge in the New York office, said in a statement.