Silicon Valley Tech Startup CEO Arrested for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Child

Zain Jaffer, the CEO of Silicon Valley tech startup Vungle, has been arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a minor and battery of an officer.

Axios reports that Jaffer was reported to the police by his father on October 15. Jaffer acted as CEO of Vungle, an app that develops video advertisements specifically for mobile devices.

According to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office, Jaffer was booked with felony charges for “attempted murder, a lewd act on a child, oral copulation of a person under 14, child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge for battery upon an officer and emergency personnel.” The attempted murder charge has since been dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Vungle initially stated that Jaffer was to be placed on permanent leave before issuing a full statement:

While we do not have any information that is not in the public record at this point, these are extremely serious allegations, and we are shocked beyond words. While these are only preliminary charges, they are obviously so serious that it led to the immediate removal of Mr. Jaffer from any operational responsibility at the company. The company stressed that this matter has nothing to do with Mr. Jaffer’s former role at the company.

Vungle raised approximately $25 million in VC funding from groups such as Google Ventures, Thomvest Ventures, Crosslink Capital, SoftTech VC and 500 Startups. Google Venture’s CEO David Krane commented on Jaffer’s arrest, saying, “We are horrified by the news about Zain Jaffer and unequivocally condemn such behavior. Our hearts go out to the many people affected, particularly Zain Jaffer’s family and the Vungle team.”

Speaking to Axios, Jaffer’s attorney, Daniel Olmos, said, “Mr. Jaffer had pleaded not guilty and had no public comment at this time.”