Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Minor

BOSTON - A Chicago man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to sexually exploiting a 14-year-old minor victim from Massachusetts.

Joshua Rogers, 31, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29, 2026. Roger was arrested in December 2025 in Chicago.

According to the charging documents, in July 2025, local law enforcement were 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.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a sentence of no less than 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of 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.

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 is prosecuting 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 https://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.