A 29-year-old computer science graduate student at Colorado State University is facing a litany of federal charges following a grand jury indictment that alleges a harrowing campaign of online grooming and blackmail against minors in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley.
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 7, 2026, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Chandan M. Bhangale.
The charges include two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of minors and one count of cyberstalking.
Bhangale, originally from Pune, India, is residing in the United States on a student visa. According to court records, he allegedly utilized popular social media and messaging platforms to target and groom underage victims.
Prosecutors say Bhangale worked to gain the victims’ trust and collect personal information before inducing them to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
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The indictment details a grim pattern of extortion. Investigators allege that once Bhangale obtained explicit material, he used it as leverage to coerce the victims into further demands. He is accused of threatening the minors with public disclosure of their videos or claiming he would cause death or serious bodily harm to them and their families if they did not comply.
Under this extreme pressure, victims were reportedly forced to engage in acts of self-harm, cut their own hair, and transmit additional CSAM.
The case was a collaborative effort between several law enforcement agencies, including the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI (Denver, Milwaukee, and Green Bay offices), and police departments from Appleton, Hortonville, and Colorado State University. The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation also assisted.
If convicted, Bhangale faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for each count of attempted sexual exploitation. The cyberstalking charge carries an additional penalty of up to five years.
This prosecution is part of “Project Safe Childhood,” a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the epidemic of online child exploitation. Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros will prosecute the case.
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It is important to note that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Bhangale is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial where the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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