Maryland Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a Minor on Snapchat

Jason Hanif Rehman, 40, of Rockville, MD, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison on one count of coercion and enticement after he used the Snapchat application to coerce a minor victim into sending him sexually explicit images of herself over the internet.   

Rehman previously pleaded guilty to the charge on Nov. 21, 2024 in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia.

According to court documents, in October and November of 2018, [AC1] Rehman communicated with a 15-year-old victim on Snapchat. In Snapchat messages, Rehman directed the victim to produce and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and sent her explicit photographs of himself. This conduct continued over the course of five weeks, during which Rehman coerced the victim into sending him CSAM and, on at least two separate occasions, traveled from Maryland and Washington, D.C. to Virginia to engage in sexual intercourse with her.

Law enforcement was notified by a student from the victim’s school about the minor victim’s communication with an adult male whom they subsequently identified as Rehman. During the course of the investigation, other minors disclosed being contacted by Rehman over Snapchat. Rehman was located and admitted to contacting the victim through Snapchat, convincing her to send him explicit photos, and having sexual intercourse with her.

Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia made the announcement.

The Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation (MPD-FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department.

Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.