A snowshoe racer from India whose entry into the United States to compete was made possible by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is being held in a New York jail on a sex charge

The U.S. embassy in New Delhi had rejected Tanveer Hussain’s application for a visa so he could compete in the World Snowshoe Championship in upstate New York. Local officials then intervened on Hussain’s behalf, appealing for help to the offices of Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Their offices reached out to the New Delhi embassy, which allowed Hussain to reapply for a visa and granted that visa. Saranac Lake Police Chief Charles Potthast said that the charges, one of first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and another of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, stem from Hussain “engaging in a passionate kiss” with a 12-year-old girl, and accusations of the athlete touching her over her clothing in an “intimate area.” Hussain was arrested after Saranac Lake Village police received a report of the alleged incident. Hussain, who was being held on a $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond, has a preliminary hearing at St. Armand Town Court in St. Armand, New York. Schumer’s office said that he often intervenes to facilitate international competition.