Former Rutgers student in video case released

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers University student who was convicted of bias for using a webcam to see his roommate and another man kissing was released from jail yesterday after serving 20 days of a 30-day sentence.

Ravi, 20, reported to the Middlesex County jail on May 31, though he could have remained free while his case is appealed. His lawyer, Steven Altman, picked him up around 8:30 a.m. Ravi was clean-shaven when he entered jail, but had a beard when he left.

A judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail, far less than the 10-year prison sentence he could have given him. He still faces three years of probation, plus more than $11,000 in fines and assessments, 300 hours of community service, and counseling.

Ravi was given five days off for good behavior and five for working automatically, a county practice.

Federal immigration authorities said Monday that Ravi would not be deported to his native India. He left there when he was 5 and remains a citizen, but he is a legal U.S. resident.

In March he was convicted of 15 criminal charges, including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and tampering with a witness. -- AP