A former science teacher at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston was sentenced on Mar. 11 to 10 years in federal prison for coercing and enticing at least one underage female to engage in sexual conversations online and requesting that she produce and send child sexual abuse material of herself.
The sentencing of John Magee Gavin, 35, of Brookline, follows his guilty plea in December 2025 to charges including coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV also ordered five years of supervised release after Gavin’s prison term.
According to court filings, Gavin previously worked as a teacher at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and as a paraprofessional with Brookline Public Schools. Authorities identified him as the owner of a Discord account used to message at least 20 underage females between ages 12 and 17 across several states, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada. In these chats, Gavin disclosed his occupation as a teacher, engaged in sexual conversations with minors, and requested sexually explicit images from them while knowing they were underaged.
A forensic review found approximately 147 files depicting child sexual abuse material on Gavin’s iPhone. The material included images and videos showing rape of both female and male minors ranging from about five to seventeen years old. Further analysis revealed that Gavin engaged in online masturbation sessions with minors via Discord, solicited images from them, exchanged images, and had sexualized conversations while he was at school. Some chats included discussions about his sexual interest in specific students where he taught.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said the announcement was made with Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. The case received assistance from the Brookline Police Department; Tennessee Bureau of Investigations; and Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation nationwide by coordinating federal, state, and local resources.