An NYPD officer in charge of community youth outreach is facing charges in two boroughs for allegedly sexting an undercover cop posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to prosecutors.
Travis N. DeSouza, 35, appeared in Queens County court on Thursday, six months after appearing in Brooklyn, on child endangerment charges for sending sexually explicit messages to an undercover officer he thought was 14 years old, according to authorities.
According to a complaint, cops set out to catch DeSouza in a sting operation last October after suspecting him of unethical behavior in his capacity as a supervisor of the Police Explorers program, an NYPD youth outreach initiative for teens and young adults aged 14 to 20 who want to pursue a career in law enforcement.
An adult undercover officer approached DeSouza while posing as a youth participant in the Police Explorers program, telling him she was 14 years old and asking for his phone number, according to the complaint.
“Of course, stop trying to bag me already,” the creepy cop responded to her request, according to the document.
Officials claim he continued the lurid overtures and innuendos via texts and social media, despite explicitly acknowledging that she was a minor.
“And I do not know why you got me thinking things I should not because of how far we are of age, LOL I should be telling you to stop…” But your maturity and the way you act are different,” DeSouza allegedly told the undercover agent via Snapchat.
According to the complaint, DeSouza attempted to seal the deal with the phony “teen girl” by sending her a photo of himself with an erection while wearing boxer shorts.
“What is under those shorts?” the undercover agent asked on Snapchat, according to the complaint.
“Something big, maybe more than you can handle,” DeSouza allegedly replied.
The accused perv was working within the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn while allegedly sending some of the shocking sexts, while others were sent from an NYPD building in Queens, which is why he is facing charges in both boroughs.
Officer DeSouza has been suspended without pay by the NYPD, the department announced Thursday.
According to the criminal complaint, he was charged in Queens court with attempted first-degree dissemination of indecent material to minors, official misconduct, third-degree obscenity, and attempted endangerment of a child.
He was charged in Brooklyn with attempted disseminating indecent materials to minors in the first degree, attempted endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree obscenity, according to records.
Court records show that the former cop was released without bail on Thursday.