Chicago Man Sentenced to 31 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a Minor

BOSTON - A Chicago man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for sexually exploiting a 14-year-old minor victim from Massachusetts.

Joshua Rogers, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 21 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In June 2026, Rogers pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children. Roger was arrested in December 2025 in Chicago.

In July 2025, law enforcement was notified of an individual purporting to be a 17-year-old boy named 'John' -later identified as Rogers - engaging in sexually explicit communications with a 14-year-old female minor victim on Snapchat. A review of cell phone data revealed numerous communications from Rogers in which he coerced the minor to engage in sexually explicit acts, many of which he demanded be documented by photo or video. In his communications, Rogers also discussed kidnapping the minor or the minor running away.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Chief Jennifer Paster of the Brookline Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI's Chicago Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..