Emmanuel College assistant admissions director accused of asking prospective students for sex

An assistant admissions director at Emmanuel College is facing a sex trafficking charge after he allegedly tried to convince an underage prospective student to have sex with him, federal prosecutors said.

Jacob Henriques, 29, of Boston, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release. He is scheduled to appear Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston.

Henriques allegedly used his position as an assistant admissions director at Emmanuel to access several admitted or prospective students’ personal information and contact them in an attempt to get them to engage in commercial sex with him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

College officials referred to Henriques as a “former employee” and said they were “saddened, angered, and shocked” by the allegations against him in a statement to Boston.com.

“They are an affront to our core values, and we stand with anyone victimized by this incident,” a college spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”

On April 25, Henriques allegedly met with at least three students, gained access to their information, and contacted them, offering to “pay them for some fun.” He also offered to provide them with pornography and sent some of them pornographic images and videos, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Henriques also allegedly contacted a fourth student after she formally committed to attending Emmanuel that same day, again offering to pay her for “some fun” and sending her pornographic videos, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The charge against Henriques stems from his alleged attempts to traffic a 17-year-old prospective student, according to the press release. He allegedly reviewed her tour registration form, which included her date of birth, just before giving her a tour of the college April 25. On the tour, he allegedly asked her what grade she was in, and she told him what high school she attended.

Later that day, Henriques allegedly texted the underage victim using the phone number provided on her admissions form, offering to pay her $400 for “some fun” and telling her that he had pornographic images and videos for her. He also refused to explain to her who he was or how he got her phone number, the press release said.

Henriques continued to contact the victim that night and allegedly sent her five pornographic videos depicting sex acts, asking her if she wanted to take part in a “gangbang” and whether or not she wanted to have sex with him, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The 17-year-old repeatedly rejected Henriques’ advances, but he continued to text her until April 28, prosecutors said. During that time, he allegedly accessed the victim’s information 47 times. After she blocked his phone number, he allegedly began contacting her via email, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

If convicted, Henriques may face up to life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The FBI is seeking out Henriques’ potential victims and is encouraging anyone who believes they may have been targeted by him to fill out a form and contact the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

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