Vinay K. Bharadwaj was a volunteer pujari and meditation teacher at the Nithyananda Vedic Temple in Seattle. Since 2006, Vinay was in close contact with Douglas Mackallor, conspiring with him against His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda. In 2007, both of them tried to convince Douglas’s wife Sharmila to lie about her relationship with guru and be a face for their conspiracy. Sharmila, however, outright refused.
Vinay Bharadwaj, sick and maniacal as He is, began pursuing a sexual relationship with a 12 year old girl, the daughter of the main priest in the Nithyanandeshwara Sadashiva Temple in Seattle. He groomed her such that she could be the perfect victim for his conspiracy. but he Full of himself, he was sure that she would be willing to lie about Paramahamsa Nithyananda and say that her guru had raped her. However, when he instructed her to run away with him, the girl panicked and told the entire truth to her parents. The entire family was shattered by the news.
When temple officials were made aware that Vinay had an inappropriate relationship with the minor—the scope of the his deplorable crimes against her only came out after police investigation—they immediately requested him to stop volunteering and leave the temple.
Nothing could stop the U.S. criminal investigation on his crimes in Seattle and the subsequent charges filed against him—the evidence was too convincing. In November 2010, criminal charges were filed in the State of Washington against Mr. Bharadwaj for three felony counts of child molestation in the second degree.
On July 31, 2012, Mr. Bharadwaj’s criminal trial commenced in Washington. Mr. Bharadwaj waived a jury trial. At the time of the trial, he faced three Felony Counts of Child Molestation in the Second Degree and one Gross Misdemeanor Count of Communication with a Minor for Immoral Purposes. His criminal defense was that the Defendants conspired with the minor and her family to make false allegations of child molestation against him to the police. During the trial, Mr. Bharadwaj took the stand to testify in his defense. Not once during his hours of testimony did he deny any of the charges or allegations against him. On August 14, 2012, he was convicted on all counts. In finding Mr. Bharadwaj guilty on all counts of molesting the minor, the trial court unequivocally concluded and opined that Mr. Bharadwaj’s conspiracy defense relating to Sri Nithyananda Swami and other defendants to be baseless, not credible, and lacking in evidence to support such a claim. Mr. Bharadwaj was immediately taken into custody. Ms. Aarthi Rao, who keep in mind did not even appear for her bankruptcy hearing or deposition or any judicial proceeding in the U.S. which required her to be under oath, surfaced to give a written sworn statement to Seattle public prosecutors to support Vinay’s smokescreen defense. No matter, on September 21, 2012, he was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment. As part of his punishment for his crimes, he was deported from the U.S. upon his release from jail in 2016.
The following is the charge sheet filed on September 21, 2012.
