Former Emmanuel College employee sentenced for soliciting sex from students

A former assistant director of admissions 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.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement that Jacob Henriques (27 years old) of Boston was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. 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 Emanuel’s assistant director of admissions to gain access to the personal information of numerous admitted or prospective students. He met and spoke with at least eight students whom he later contacted to solicit commercial sex from them, prosecutors said.

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

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

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

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

Throughout the next few days, Henriques repeatedly propositioned his underage victim. Although she rejected his advances several times, the former admissions director insisted on telling her that he would buy her anything she wanted and would tell him if she changed her mind.

Prosecutors found that Henriques accessed the minor’s profile in Emanuel’s 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, Emanuel officials told Boston.com that he was no longer an employee and that they were “saddened, angry and shocked” by the allegations against him.

A college spokesperson said: “It is an affront to our core values, and we stand with anyone who falls victim to this incident.” “Because the safety and well-being of everyone is our top priority, and consistent with established policies, we took aggressive action upon learning of this issue, immediately contacting law enforcement and initiating an investigation that resulted in the immediate termination of the individual.”

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

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