A Massachusetts man, previously of Rhode Island, who was renowned for dressing up as a superhero and engaging with youngsters, was sentenced to child exploitation charges in federal court in Worcester Monday.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman sentenced 26-year-old Jalen Latimer of Roxbury to 28 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. The offender was also ordered to pay restitution, which will be determined at a later date. In December 2024, Latimer pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking conspiracy and two charges of child sexual exploitation. Latimer is presently serving a state prison sentence for connected actions. On February 16, 2024, the defendant was accused in a criminal complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
In July 2022, Latimer and another adult videotaped themselves raping a ten-year-old. The sexual assault recording was created using the minor victim’s five-year-old sibling. More than a year later, in July 2023, Latimer planned with the same adult to organize the sexual abuse of another kid. The adult asked Latimer to pay $50 for the child, but he only provided $20 and some marijuana. Massachusetts Tourism
Latimer was arrested in January 2024. He was later convicted by state officials in Worcester Superior Court of three counts of aggravated rape of a child, four counts of aggravated indecent assault and battery on a child, and human trafficking of a minor. On March 17, 2024, he was sentenced to 15 years in state jail, which would run concurrent with his federal sentence.
The statement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division; Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier; and Oxford Police Chief Michael K. Daniels. Rhode Island State Police and Massachusetts State Police gave valuable assistance. Kristen M. Noto, Assistant US Attorney for the Worcester Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the Department of Justice’s nationwide attempt to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse that began in May 2006. Project Safe Childhood, led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to seek, seize, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.
