John Magee Gavin, 35, a Brookline resident and former Boston science teacher, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for an online child exploitation scheme that stretched across state and national borders. On Thursday, March 12, 2026, in federal court in Boston, he was ordered to serve the decade-long term followed by five years of supervised release after admitting to online enticement and child pornography charges.
Prosecutors say Gavin used a Discord account to contact at least 20 girls between the ages of 12 and 17 across the United States and abroad. Investigators reportedly recovered about 147 files of child sexual abuse material from his phone. He pleaded guilty in December 2025 to coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Sentence and court outcome
According to Daily Voice Worcester, U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV imposed the agreed-upon 10-year sentence on March 12 and added five years of supervised release. The outlet reported that the prison term matches the mandatory minimum required for the coercion and enticement charge.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states that investigators identified Gavin in January 2025 as the person behind a Discord account used to message minors and arrested him in February 2025. Prosecutors say he told some victims he was a teacher, engaged in sexual conversations while he was at school, solicited explicit images and took part in online sexualized sessions with underage girls across multiple states and countries.
Where he taught
Gavin previously worked at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston and earlier taught at the Academy of the Pacific Rim and served as a paraprofessional with the Brookline Public Schools, as reported by The Boston Globe. School officials did not immediately issue public statements following the sentencing.
Evidence and victims
Federal filings say a forensic review of Gavin’s iPhone uncovered about 147 files in total, including 94 images and 53 videos that prosecutors say depicted the sexual abuse of boys and girls as young as about five years old, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The filings also describe chats and exchanges in which investigators say Gavin solicited images, traded sexually explicit material and participated in sexualized video sessions with minors.
Penalties and next steps
Under federal law, the coercion and enticement charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential sentence of life, while receipt and possession of child pornography carry additional penalty ranges that include lengthy prison terms and supervised release, as noted by WCVB. Authorities say all victims have been identified and their families notified, and the case in Boston was handled under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.
