Robert Burnham, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Massachusetts 2024

Gloucester Man Charged with Sexually Exploiting Minor

In a shocking case, Robert Burnham, a 44-year-old Gloucester man, has been arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to the charging documents, Burnham allegedly persuaded and coerced a 13-year-old minor female into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing pictures and videos of such conduct. The minor victim was allegedly coerced into sending the explicit content to Burnham via social media platforms, including Snapchat and JusTalk, a China-based messaging application.

Burnham allegedly met the minor victim on Snapchat and told her he was in her grade. He then started asking the minor victim about people she knew and sent her a picture of her father’s Facebook account. It is alleged that Burnham claimed he had sexually explicit photos of the minor victim, that he knew her father, and that he would send the pictures to her father if she did not send him sexually explicit pictures and videos of herself.

Over the course of four months, Burnham allegedly coerced the minor victim into creating and sending numerous sexually explicit videos and pictures. It is alleged that Burnham would give the minor victim detailed instructions about what to do in each video or picture and, when she did not comply or respond right away, he would threaten her. Specifically, Burnham allegedly told the minor victim that he was “going to put f*****g hands on [her]” and that he was going to rape her.

The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 15 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Burnham has been detained pending a hearing on September 8, 2025.

The 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 federal government. The project marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

Robert Burnham, exact criminal charges Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, City and state Gloucester, Massachusetts, EXACT DATE June 11, 2024 to October 4, 2024, Sentence or outcome detained pending a hearing on September 8, 2025, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/gloucester-man-charged-sexual-exploitation-minor-0