What the billion-dollar Boston-based technology company said about its Indian-American CEO caught in prostitution scandal
Anurag Bajpayee
Anurag Bajpayee
, CEO and co-founder of
Gradiant Technology
, a billion-dollar water technology company, has been arrested in a high-profile US investigation involving high-end brothels allegedly linked to sex trafficking. The case has shocked both the tech industry and academic circles, given Bajpayee's credentials as an
MIT-trained engineer
and entrepreneur. The Indian-American technologist, engineer, and entrepreneur co-founded Gradiant in 2013, a global water technology company now valued at over $1 billion.
What Gradiant Technology said on CEO Anurag Bajpayee's arrest
The company has defended Anurag Bajpayee, while reiterating a muddled promise of excellence in public remarks amid controversy. Gradiant has asserted that it is placing trust in the judicial process — and its own company. 'We believe in the justice system and are confident that this will resolve favorably in due course,' said Gradiant representative Felix Wang in a statement to Wall Street Journal. 'Unrelated to this, Gradiant will continue to pursue excellence in technological innovation and to strive towards our mission to ensure clean water for all society.'
Dozens of men, Bajpayee included, were named in court documents last month, accusing them all of paying hundreds of dollars per hour for sex and a 'girlfriend experience' with predominantly Asian women being exploited through sex trafficking, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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What are charge charges against Anurag Bajpayee
According to U.S. federal prosecutors, the women involved were mostly Asian, and some may have been victims of trafficking and coercion. Clients paid between $250 and $600 per hour for what was described as 'escort-level girlfriend experiences.' Investigators allege that Bajpayee visited these establishments multiple times and was recorded communicating with the operators.
The charges against him are misdemeanors, but the wider investigation remains ongoing. Federal officials are examining the potential for related charges, including links to trafficking or racketeering.
Anurag Bajpayee is a celebrated tech leader
Bajpayee previously stood as a celebrated leader in water treatment technology and was even credited in Scientific American's annual Top 10 World-Changing Ideas list. Born in India, Bajpayee studied at La Martiniere College in Lucknow, a prestigious private school.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006, followed by a Master's (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Gradiant began as an MIT lab project and quickly evolved into one of the most promising clean-tech startups of the 2010s. Under Bajpayee's leadership, the company expanded globally, offering solutions in wastewater treatment, desalination, water recycling, and industrial water reuse. Its clients include major players in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, energy, and food sectors.
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