In April 2025, D. Kothari (42) was arrested in Las Vegas during a multi-agency undercover sting targeting child sex predators. 

In July 2025, Kothari was formally indicted for the crime of luring children or mentally ill persons with use of technology with intent to engage in sexual conduct. Kothari was accused of knowingly contact or communicate with, or attempt to contact or communicate with, an online covert employee of the crimes against children task force portraying a thirteen (13) years old male, whom Kothari believed to be a child who is less than 16 years of age and at least 5 years younger than Defendant through the use of a computer, system, or network through, with the intent to persuade or lure the person whom Defendant believed to be a child to engage in sexual conduct.

In December 2025, Defendant Kothari was arraigned and pled not guilty. The bail was set at $5,000 with high level electronic monitoring. However, in January 2026, the court decided to exonerate the bond and Kothari was released from high level electronic monitoring. Case continued and later Kothari was again placed on high level electronic monitoring and was instructed to not to have any contact with anyone under 18 years of age. In July 2026, Kothari defense team requested the court to dismiss the case for delays that exceeds the bound of US Constitution.

The charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt; the prosecution must prove the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. The operation was led by the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which includes the FBI, LVMPD, and the North Las Vegas Police Department.

Interestingly, during the 2024 election cycle, Kothari ran for Clark County Commission District D in the Democratic primary, finishing last among the candidates with just 300 votes, or 2.0% of the total.

Kothari responded to the Ballotpedia questionnaire by introducing himself and sharing how his immigrant upbringing shaped him. In his own words:

I am the son of immigrants, and my parents weren’t the type of coddle. They gave me doses of reality starting very young, making sure that I understood the game-because of my lineage, I would need to work harder and be smarter just to end up at the same place as my peers. From the outside, they looked like tiger parents. From the inside, they simply looked like tigers. (Just kidding, Mom!)

As a consequence of my upbringing, the standard for excellence is integrated into my being. I always strive to be better than the best, which is something that not only takes hard work, but also creativity and innovation. This ethic carried me through college, graduate school, law school, my jobs, the programs I built, and just about everything. It even led to my candidacy for Commissioner and shows up on my website; people have called my platforms “fresh.”

As always, the cards are stacked against me in this race and I’m okay with it. My educational background is more diverse, policy platforms are better formed, and vision is clearer than my opponent.