Jason Hanif Rehman, Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, Washington 2024

Washington DC – In a shocking case of child exploitation, Jason Hanif Rehman, 40, of Rockville, Md., has been sentenced to 168 months federal in prison in connection with coercing a minor victim to send him sexually explicit images over the internet.

On October 2018, Rehman communicated with a 15-year-old girl on Snapchat, directing her to produce and send him child sexual abuse material. He also sent her explicit photographs of himself. Over the course of five weeks, Rehman continued to coerce the victim into sending him child sexual abuse material and on at least two separate dates, traveled from Maryland and Washington, D.C. to Virginia where he had sex with her.

A fellow student notified school officials of the minor victim’s communication with an adult male. Investigators identified the male as Rehman. Subsequently, other minors at the school disclosed that Rehman had sent them similarly sexually explicit messages and requests over Snapchat. When investigators located Rehman, he admitted that he had used his Snapchat account to contact the victim and knew she was 15 years old. He also admitted to convincing her to send him explicit photos and admitted to having sexual intercourse with her.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Rehman pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2024, to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

In addition to the 14-year prison term, Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Rehman to serve 10 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in conjunction with the Fairfax County Police Department.

The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

Rehman’s case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. 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.

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