Boston Man Charged With Sexually Exploiting Minor

BOSTON - A Boston man was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Worcester for child exploitation offenses.

Jalen Latimer, 25, of Roxbury, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Latimer is currently in state custody on related offenses and will appear in federal court in Worcester on April 30, 2024. The defendant was previously charged by criminal complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor on Feb. 16, 2024.

According to the indictment, in July 2023, Latimer conspired with another individual to sex traffic a minor victim. It is further alleged that Latimer coerced two other minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.

Latimer was arrested in February 2024 and is facing charges by state authorities in Worcester Superior Court of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault and battery of a child, human trafficking of a minor and depicting a minor in sexual conduct.

The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides of a sentence of up to life in prison, up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier; and Oxford Police Chief Michael K. Daniels made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Rhode Island State Police and Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.