Jason Hanif Rehman, 40, of Rockville, Maryland, was found guilty today of one count of coercion and enticement and sentenced to 14 years in prison for using the Snapchat app to trick a young victim into sending him graphic photos of herself online.
Rehman earlier entered a guilty plea to the charge in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia on November 21, 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Court filings state that Rehman used Snapchat to contact with a victim who was 15 years old in October and November of 2018 [AC1].
Rehman texted her graphic pictures of himself on Snapchat and instructed her to provide him child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This behavior persisted for five weeks, during which Rehman forced the victim to provide him CSAM and, at least twice, traveled to Virginia from Maryland and Washington, D.C. to have sex with her.
A pupil at the victim’s school informed law officials that the underage victim had communicated with an adult gentleman, whom they later identified as Rehman. Other kids revealed during the investigation that Rehman had contacted them on Snapchat. After being found, Rehman acknowledged using Snapchat to get in touch with the victim, persuading her to give him graphic images, and engaging in sexual activity with her.
The statement was made by District of Columbia Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
With significant help from the Fairfax County Police Department, the case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation (MPD-FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
This case was filed as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national campaign that the Justice Department started in May 2006 to address the rising rate of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Project Safe Childhood, spearheaded by the US Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to better identify, capture, and punish those who exploit children online, as well as to find and rescue victims. Go to www.justice.gov/psc to learn more about Project Safe Childhood.
