Former Emmanuel assistant admissions director pleads guilty to attempted sex trafficking, cyberstalking

A former assistant admissions director at Emmanuel College pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to get an underage college applicant to have commercial sex with him, according to prosecutors.

Jacob Henriques, 27, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of cyberstalking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. Henriques was arrested and charged in May, and he is scheduled to be sentenced March 4, 2026.

As an assistant admissions director, Henriques used his position to access the personal information of numerous prospective or admitted students, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. He would later contact these students to try to get them to engage in commercial sex with him.

In one instance April 25, Henriques met with three students and later accessed their information to contact them, prosecutors said. He offered to pay them “for some fun” and provide them with pornography, and in some instances, he sent them pornographic images or videos.

Henriques also contacted a fourth victim after she formally committed to attend the college April 25, offering to pay her “for some fun” and sending her pornographic videos, according to prosecutors.

One of Henriques’ victims was a 17-year-old prospective student, to whom he gave a tour of the college April 25, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. After reviewing her tour registration form, which listed her date of birth, he asked her what grade she was in, and she told him what local high school she attended.

Hours after finishing the tour, Henriques texted the victim using the phone number included on her admissions form and offered to pay her $400 for “some fun.” He also told her that he had pornographic images and videos for her and that “porn” and “$” were ready for her, prosecutors said.

Henriques kept contacting the victim that night and wouldn’t tell her who he was or how he got her number, according to prosecutors. He later sent her five pornographic videos showing men and women having sex and propositioned her.

The victim repeatedly rejected Henriques’ advances, but he continued to text her, asking her to tell him if she changed her mind and that he would buy her whatever she wanted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. After the victim blocked him, he began soliciting her via email.

Prosecutors found in their investigation that Henriques had accessed the 17-year-old victim’s profile in the Emmanuel system a total of 47 times.

Shortly after Henriques was charged, Emmanuel officials indicated in a statement to Boston.com that he was no longer an employee and that they were “saddened, angered, and shocked” by the allegations against him.

“They are an affront to our core values, and we stand with anyone victimized by this incident,” a college spokesperson told Boston.com in May. “Because the safety and well-being of all is our highest priority, and consistent with established policies, we took strong action upon learning of this issue, immediately contacting law enforcement and launching an investigation that led to the prompt termination of the individual.”

Though it was not mentioned in the U.S. Attorney’s office’s statement, Henriques later faced accusations that he similarly propositioned another minor. Days before his interactions with the 17-year-old victim, he allegedly contacted a 13-year-old Western Massachusetts girl via Instagram.

Henriques allegedly asked the girl April 20 if she was “down to have fun” and offered to “pay tonight,” according to court documents obtained by The Boston Globe. The records did not specify whether or not the alleged victim was a prospective student.

Henriques is facing 10 years to life in prison, a minimum of five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the sex trafficking charge, prosecutors said. For the cyberstalking charge, he faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Monica Shah, Henriques’ attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.

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