News East West
NEW YORK: Indian-American Internet entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal has been handed a 12-month jail term by a San Francisco court for probation violation for domestic violence.
But Chahal won’t be going to jail immediately as the court has allowed him stay pending his appeal to challenge it.
The legal troubles for the Indian-American multimillionaire Internet entrepreneur began in April 2014 when he was caught on video hitting and kicking his then girlfriend 117 times. The beating took place on Aug 5, 2013, in Chahal’s $7-million penthouse in San Francisco. The beating caught on security camera showed Chahal hitting and punching her 117 times and trying to suffocate her.
Chahal called the incident `normal argument” and denied hitting her. But he struck a deal to avoid jail term as he pleaded guilty to two charges of domestic violence and got a three-year probation in that case.
He was on probation when he was arrested in October 2014 for allegedly kicking a second woman – a Korean he was dating at that time – many times in the leg. The second victim said she was repeatedly kicked by Chahal. When she threatened to report him, Chahal warned her that he will report her to immigration authorities. His legal team alleged that the woman came to the US from South Korea after entering into into a sham marriage.
Anyhow, Chahal was freed on $100,000 bail. However, prosecutors sought revocation of his probation
Last month, Judge Tracie Brown found Chahal guilty of violating his probation. On Friday, Aug 12, his probation was suspended and Chahal was given 12 months in a county jail. He has been asked to surrender his passports.
The 34-year-old Chahal, who moved to the US from Punjab with his parents when he was three, founded his ad-tech company ClickAgents which he sold for $40 million.
He then created another ad company called BlueLithium which he sold to Yahoo for $300 million in 2007. He was just 25 years old then.
Chahal then founded RadiumOne, but he was kicked out of it after his 2014 conviction for domestic violence.
After his ouster from RadiumOne, Chahal started a new ad-tech company called Gravity4. But he had more trouble with women at Gravity4 as two of his female executives sued him for harassment.
Erika Alonso, a 40-year-old female marketing executive at Gravity4, sued Chahal for gender discrimination, harassment and illegal surveillance.
Months later, another female employee – 20-year-old Yousef Khraibut – sued him. Khraibut, who holds citizenship of Canada and Kuwait, alleged in her suit that Chahal threatened to `beat the shit out’ of her and send her `back to Canada ‘tonight’’.
Chahal has now transferred ownership of Gravity4 to his sister Kamal Kaur who has become its CEO.
