BOSTON—A shocking scandal is erupting in Boston, where John Magee Gavin, a 35-year-old former science teacher at Josiah Quincy Upper School, has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly masterminding a global scheme to exploit underage girls.

Posing as a trusted educator, Gavin allegedly used Discord to groom and coerce at least 20 underage girls aged 12 to 17 across the U.S., U.K., and Canada into producing and sending child sexual abuse material—often while teaching class, surrounded by unsuspecting students.

Gavin faces a life sentence after authorities uncovered 147 illicit files on his phone, depicting victims as young as five, and chats revealing his depraved fantasies about a freshman student, setting the stage for a firestorm of outrage and exposing a shameful collapse of Boston’s school oversight.

Gavin, previously a 6th-grade teacher at Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School and a paraprofessional in Brookline, allegedly exploited his teacher status to manipulate girls as young as 12. Prosecutors say he initiated explicit sexual conversations, aggressively demanded nude photos, and engaged in online masturbation sessions with minors, some during school hours at Josiah Quincy.

In one chilling exchange, he allegedly detailed his sexual obsession with a freshman student at his school, fantasizing about engaging in sexual acts with her. A forensic search of his iPhone revealed 94 images and 53 videos of child sexual abuse material, depicting the rape of both female and male minors aged five to 17, laying bare the depth of his alleged depravity.

Gavin, now in state custody awaiting his July 21, 2025, federal court date, may have posted on LinkedIn seeking new opportunities, but with charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, his future points to a prison cell.

🔗 Click to read the DOJ's official report