A 29-year-old assistant admissions administrator at Emmanuel College who allegedly offered to pay prospective students “for some fun’’ was arrested last week on charges of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to federal prosecutors.
Jacob Henriques of Boston is scheduled to appear in US District Court in Boston on Monday.
Earlier this month, Henriques allegedly contacted a 17-year-old local high school student after she formally committed to attend the Boston college and offered to pay her $400 for “some fun’’ and told her that he had pornographic videos and pictures to share with her, US Attorney Leah B. Foley’s office said in a statement.
Henriques, an assistant admissions director at the college, refused to tell her who he was or how he got her number, Foley’s statement said.
He allegedly accessed the girl’s personal information from the college admissions system 47 times between April 25 and April 28.
In an email, college officials referred to Henriques as a “former employee,’’ and said they were “saddened, angered, and shocked by these serious federal allegations.’’
“They are an affront to our core values, and we stand with [anyone] victimized by this incident,’’ a college spokesperson said in a statement.
When Henriques gave the girl a campus tour on or about April 25 he asked her what grade she was in and what school she attended, charging documents said.
Within hours, Henriques texted her, saying that “porn’’ and “$’’ was ready and asked if she wanted to have sex with him and take part in a “gangbang,’’ court documents said.
Prosecutors said Henriques also sent the girl five pornographic videos.
After she blocked his phone number, Henriques started sending emails to the girl, prosecutors said.
According to charging documents, Henriques similarly solicited at least three other prospective students.
The college’s statement said officials took swift action as soon as they learned about the accusations against Henriques.
“Because the safety and well-being of all is our highest priority, and consistent with established policies, we took strong action upon learning of this issue, immediately contacting law enforcement and launching an investigation that led to the prompt termination of the individual,’’ the statement said. “We have cooperated fully with authorities from the moment this matter came to our attention and will continue to do so.’’
If convicted as charged, Henriques faces the possibility of life in prison with a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, Foley’s statement said. A lawyer for Henriques could not be identified for comment last week.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
