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Former Boston school staffer indicted on 30 child sex abuse charges, including rape and trafficking
John Jamar Cokley, 38, of Boston worked as a paraprofessional at Brighton High School from 2019 to 2021 and was a MissionSAFE staff member.
A former staffer at a Boston high school has been indicted on 30 charges of child sex abuse, including rape and trafficking, prosecutors announced.
John Jamar Cokley, 38, of Boston was initially arraigned on a handful of charges in Dorchester Boston Municipal Court in April, but the number of charges against him has expanded as more alleged victims have stepped forward, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.
Cokley was indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury last week on seven counts of sex trafficking of a child, five counts of aggravated rape of a child, one count of rape of a child by force, three counts of posing a child in a state of nudity, four counts of posing a child in a state of sexual conduct, four counts of enticing a child under 18 into commercial sex, two counts of inducing a minor to sell a controlled substance, one count of dissemination of harmful matter to a minor, possession of child pornography, and purchasing child pornography.
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The 38-year-old worked as a paraprofessional at Brighton High School from 2019 to 2021 and also was a staff member for MissionSAFE, a local nonprofit that works with young people and their families.
Prosecutors allege that Cokley sexually exploited five high school students using Instagram and raped two of them between fall 2023 and March 2024.
“The investigation revealed Cokley surrounded himself with teenage girls, grooming them while exploiting their vulnerabilities and financial insecurities,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, a local high school reported to authorities in March 2024 that one of their students was being sexually exploited. Investigators were provided with Instagram messages, allegedly between Cokley and the student, exchanging nude images and video and discussing where the 38-year-old could meet the student for sex in exchange for money, the DA’s office said.
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Additional victims told investigators they met Cokley through Instagram, where they were encouraged to send him nude images in exchange for money. He allegedly threatened to stop sending money if the students did not respond to him quickly enough.
“Cokley randomly messaged the girls through Instagram and would compliment their appearance to make a connection,” the DA’s office said. “Cokley would offer the girls an ‘allowance’ if they sent him naked images or videos. Cokley repeatedly requested to meet up in person to have sex in exchange for money. Additionally, Cokley asked two victims to sell marijuana.”
According to the DA’s office, investigators found “dozens” of images and videos of the victims on Cokley’s phone and Instagram account and prosecutors said the 38-year-old is in several “self-produced” videos of child sexual abuse material.
He is being ordered held without bail until his dangerousness hearing on July 2, according to the DA’s office.
“These allegations are extremely disturbing, particularly because they involve a person of trust with institutional access to young people,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “Social media is embedded in our society and so is the manipulation and exploitation that come along with it. I commend these students and the school for coming forward and encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim to contact the police.”
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Anyone who believes that a child in Massachusetts may be the victim of abuse can call the Department of Children and Families’ Child at Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200.
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