News Summary
John Magee Gavin, a 35-year-old teacher from Brookline, has been indicted for coercing underage girls into sexual conversations and possessing child pornography. The federal indictment includes serious charges, stemming from an investigation revealing Gavin’s communication with at least 20 minors across several regions. Evidence gathered points to explicit discussions and solicitation of explicit images. The case raises alarming concerns about online safety in educational environments as Gavin faced allegations during his tenure at local schools.
Boston Teacher Indicted for Coercing Minors into Sexual Conversations and Possession of Child Pornography
Boston – John Magee Gavin, a 35-year-old resident of Brookline, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for serious charges involving the coercion of underage girls into sexual conversations and possessing child pornography. The indictment includes counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, as well as receipt and possession of child pornography.
Gavin has been in custody since February, when he was arrested by the Brookline Police at his home on related charges. He is set to appear in a Boston federal court on Monday morning to face these allegations.
The investigation revealed that Gavin operated a Discord account that allegedly communicated with at least 20 underage females, ranging in age from 12 to 17 years, across multiple states, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Gavin allegedly identified himself as a teacher in these conversations and engaged in explicit discussions, requesting the minors to send him sexually explicit images.
Evidence collected during the investigation highlights Gavin’s connection to the charges. A memorandum from Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm detailed that police seized clothing items from Gavin that matched those worn by certain victims in the images sent to him. Furthermore, the investigation showed that Gavin’s iPhone contained 147 files depicting child sexual abuse material, including 94 images and 53 videos of minors aged between approximately five and 17 years.
Additional findings suggest that Gavin engaged in online masturbation sessions and further sexualized conversations with minors while he was present at his school. Conversations reportedly included his sexual interest in specific students at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston. When Boston Public Schools (BPS) learned of the allegations, they placed Gavin on administrative leave, stating that these charges do not pertain to the BPS or its students.
Prior to this incident, Gavin worked as a paraprofessional at the Roland Hayes School in Brookline in 2020. He transitioned to a teaching position at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park in August 2022. During his employment process, he successfully passed all required background checks, and no complaints had been filed against him during his tenure. Gavin resigned from his position before beginning at Josiah Quincy Upper School.
If Gavin is granted release pending trial, he would be subject to several restrictions. These include GPS monitoring, a prohibition on contacting victims or any minors under 18, surrendering his passport, remaining within Massachusetts, and being banned from using social media and texting applications.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Goldworm has expressed concerns regarding Gavin’s potential pretrial release, arguing that it would jeopardize the safety of students due to Gavin’s demonstrated sexual interest in minors.
This case has raised significant alarm regarding the protection of minors in educational settings and highlights the critical nature of monitoring online interactions. Authorities continue to investigate to ensure the safety of students and to gather further evidence in this troubling case.
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Additional Resources
- Boston Herald
- NBC Boston
- WHDH
- CBS News
- Wikipedia: Child Sexual Abuse
- Google Search: Child Protection Education
