Former Boston Public Schools teacher sentenced to 10 years in prison for child exploitation

"Gavin coerced at least one underage girl to have sexualized conversations with him online and asked her to send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of herself, prosecutors said. Investigators found that he was in possession of CSAM depicting rape of boys and girls who ranged in age from five to 17 years old."

"In January 2025, authorities identified Gavin as the owner of a Discord account used to contact at least 20 underage girls between 12 and 17 years old, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The girls Gavin messaged lived in several states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom."

"Gavin told the minors that he was a teacher, had sexualized conversations with them, and often asked them to send sexually explicit pictures of themselves, according to prosecutors. Authorities arrested him in February 2025, and he was charged in Brookline District Court with enticing a child under 16, possession of child pornography."

John Magee Gavin, 35, a former science teacher at Boston's Josiah Quincy Upper School, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for child exploitation crimes. He pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Using a Discord account, Gavin contacted at least 20 underage girls aged 12-17 across multiple states and international locations. He identified himself as a teacher, engaged in sexualized conversations, and solicited sexually explicit images from the minors. Investigators discovered he possessed child sexual abuse material depicting children aged 5-17. Gavin was arrested in February 2025 and indicted in July 2025.

Read at Boston.com