Former Emmanuel College employee sentenced for soliciting sex from students

Former Emmanuel College employee sentenced for soliciting sex from students

Crime

The former admissions director abused his position to access the personal information of admitted and prospective students.

By Darin Zullo

June 18, 2026 | 7:47 PM

2 minutes to read

A former assistant admissions director at Emmanuel College was sentenced Thursday to more than a decade in prison for cyberstalking and soliciting commercial sex from underage college applicants, according to federal prosecutors.

Jacob Henriques, 27, of Boston, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. In November 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of cyberstalking.

Henriques abused his position as Emmanuel’s assistant admissions director to gain access to the personal information of numerous admitted or prospective students. He met and spoke with at least eight students who he later contacted to solicit commercial sex from them, prosecutors said.

On April 25, 2025, Henriques met with three students and later contacted them, offering to pay them “for some fun” and provide them with pornography. He similarly solicited sex from a fourth victim who formally committed to attend the college that same day. In some instances, he sent pornographic images or videos to his victims.

Henriques also attempted to traffic a 17-year-old prospective student who he took on a college tour on April 25. He reviewed her tour registration form, which contained her date of birth, and asked her what local high school she attended and what grade she was in.

Later that day, Henriques texted the prospective student using the phone number included on her admissions form. He offered to pay her $400 for “some fun” and told her that he had pornographic images and videos to share with her, prosecutors said.

Henriques continued contacting the victim that night, refusing to tell her who he was or how he got her number. He told her that “porn” and “$” were ready for her, then sent her five pornographic videos “depicting men and women engaged in sex acts,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Throughout the next few days, Henriques repeatedly propositioned his underage victim. Though she rejected his advances multiple times, the former admissions director persisted, telling her that he would buy her anything she wanted and to let him know if she changed her mind.

Prosecutors found that Henriques accessed the minor’s profile in the Emmanuel system a total of 47 times between April 25 and April 28. After she blocked his phone number, he began soliciting her via email.

Henriques was arrested and charged in May 2025. At the time, Emmanuel officials told 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 said. “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.”

Henriques later faced accusations of making similar propositions to a 13-year-old girl in Western Massachusetts days before his interactions with the 17-year-old prospective student. However, those accusations were not addressed in this case.

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

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