BOSTON — A former Boston teacher is facing federal charges for allegedly using social media to exchange nude photos with teen girls in at least six different states and having graphic sexual chat sessions with the girls while on the job.
John Magee Gavin, 35, of Brookline, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count each of coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Gavin, a former science teacher at the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston, is believed to have communicated with at least 20 girls between the ages of 12 and 17 years old from around the world, prosecutors said.
Gavin also previously worked as a sixth-grade teacher at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and as a paraprofessional with the Brookline Public Schools, according to court filings.
Prosecutors allege that Gavin, who appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday, engaged in sexualized online conversations with the young girls while he was teaching in class.
In January, investigators identified Gavin as the owner of a Discord account who messaged at least 20 underage females across the country including in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada.
Prosecutors allege that Gavin used the Discord account to engage in online masturbation sessions with the minors.
“The messages within the chats are largely sexual in nature with Gavin often asking sexually charged questions to the (minor victims) to include if they are horny, how often they masturbate, their sexual experiences” and requests for child sexual abuse material, Foley wrote in her request for Gavin’s pretrial detention dated Friday.
The chats also allegedly included conversations in which Gavin expressed his sexual interest in certain students at the Josiah Quincy school.
In one conversation, Gavin allegedly discussed his sexual interest in a freshman student at the school where he was employed as a teacher and fantasized about having sex with her, Foley said.
“Idk I don’t even teach her but I often go into the classroom if I hear it is noisy or I see her in the hallway and every time she says hi to me by name,” Gavin allegedly wrote of the freshman student at his school while chatting with a minor victim on Oct. 15, 2024, court documents show.
He then goes on to tell the minor victim that the freshman student “probably goes home and thinks of me” while performing a sex act, Gavin allegedly wrote in the sexually-explicit message.
Foley, in requesting that Gavin be detained pending his trial, wrote of the government’s concerns.
“During his career, he has come into contact with hundreds, if not thousands of children who live in the Boston area. The evidence shows that Gavin has a sexual interest in children and the students that he taught,” Foley wrote in her request for Gavin’s pretrial detention.
Local police arrested Gavin in February. He is charged in Brookline District Court with enticing a child under 16, obscene matter to a minor, lascivious pose/exhibit child in nude, and possession of child pornography.
Federal prosecutors allege that a forensic review of evidence seized from Gavin’s Brookline home revealed approximately 147 files, including 94 images and 53 videos, on his iPhone depicting child sexual abuse material.
The files allegedly depicted the rape of both female and male minors, ranging in age from approximately five to 17 years old.
On June 5, the Massachusetts Probation Service determined that Gavin violated his conditions of pretrial release for his state charges, prosecutors said.
One of the conditions for Gavin’s pretrial release was “No use of Social Media apps including TikTok, [Kik], Instagram.”
A review by Massachusetts Probation Service of Gavin’s cellphone showed that he was using the device to access YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X, “all in violation of his pretrial conditions of release,” Foley wrote in her request for Gavin’s pretrial detention.
In a statement in February after his arrest, Boston Public Schools said the “safety and well-being of our students is always our highest priority” and reiterated to school families that charges against Gavin “are not related to BPS or BPS students.”
If convicted of the charge of coercion and enticement of a minor, Gavin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
If convicted of the charge of receipt of child pornography, Gavin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
If convicted of the charge of possession of child pornography, Gavin faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or email USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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