Former Boston Upper School Teacher Charged With Child Sexual Exploitation

Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 5:10  P.M. ET. 4 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BOSTON, MA.- A 35-year-old Brookline, Massachusetts, man formerly employed as a science teacher at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston, Massachusetts, jailed on Massachusetts State charges, was charged earlier this month in the unsealing of a federal indictment with child sexual exploitation offenses.

     According to U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, on Thursday, July 10, 2025, a Federal Grand Jury for the District of Massachusetts returned an indictment charging John Magee Gavin, 35, of Brookline, Massachusetts, with one count of Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; one count of Receipt of Child Pornography; and one count of Possession of Child Pornography. 

Gavin Was Initially Charged By Local Law Enforcement

     Gavin, who is currently being detained on state-related charges, made his initial appearance yesterday morning in Federal Court in Boston, Massachusetts, and was ordered to remain detained.

According To The Charging Information Unsealed In The Indictment

     According to the charging information unsealed in the indictment, Gavin is a former teacher at the Josiah Quincy Upper School located in Boston, Massachusetts. Before that, Gavin was employed as a sixth-grade teacher at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and was a paraprofessional with the Brookline Public Schools.

     The indictment alleges that in January 2025, Gavin was identified as the owner of a Discord Messenger application account, who messaged at least twenty underage girls, between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, throughout the United States, including Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada. 

     It is further alleged, in these messaging chats, Gavin disclosed he was a teacher, engaged in sexual conversations, and often asked the minors to send him pictures of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct, knowing the children were underage.

     Gavin was initially arrested by local authorities in February 2025 and charged in Brookline District Court with enticing a child under sixteen, possession of child pornography, and other related offenses.

     Following his arrest, a subsequent forensic examination of the electronic device seized during arrest uncovered around 147 media files, 94 digital images, and 53 video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, including some depicting rape of both female and male children, ranging in age from 5 years old to 17 years old. 

     Further forensic analysis of Gavin’s Discord Instant Messaging account uncovered numerous chats with underage females, in which he allegedly engaged in online masturbation sessions with minors, solicited images from, exchanged images with minors, and engaged in sexual conversations with the minors while he was in school. Some of the chats included conversations in which Gavin expressed his sexual interest in certain students at Josiah Quincy School. In one of the conversations, 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.

If Convicted At Trial, Gavin Faces Up To Life In Federal Prison

     If convicted at trial, Gavin faces on the charge of coercion and enticement of a minor provides for 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. The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for 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. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

“The rules of the federal court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”