A Rockville man was sentenced Wednesday to serve 14 years in prison after he used Snapchat to coerce a 15-year-old Virginia girl to send him sexually explicit images of herself in 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a press release.
Jason Hanif Rehman, 40, pleaded guilty in November to one charge of coercion and enticement of a child in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, the release said. In addition to prison time, District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Rehman to serve 10 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.
Eugene Ohm, an assistant federal public defender representing Rehman, did not immediately respond to Bethesda Today’s email request for comment Thursday morning.
It is unclear where Rehman is being held.
Rehman’s case stemmed from communications and physical interactions with the girl in October and November of 2018, according to court documents. During that time, Rehman told the girl to send him sexually explicit photos of herself over the social media and messaging platform, Snapchat. He also sent her explicit images of himself.
Prosecutors say Rehman coerced the girl to send him “child sex abuse materials” over the course of five weeks, the release said. On at least two occasions, Rehman also traveled from Maryland and Washington, D.C., to Virginia for sex with the girl. According to court documents, he would meet with her at a Virginia park near her home.
Investigators learned of Rehman’s actions after another student at the girl’s school notified school officials, according to the release. Rehman also requested photos and engaged in sexually explicit conversation with other minors over Snapchat, including two of the girl’s classmates, according to court documents.
Rehman was arrested in the District by the FBI in March 2023, according to court documents. After his arrest, Rehman told investigators he used Snapchat to contact the girl, convincing her to send explicit photos and to have sexual intercourse with him, according to the release.
The Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a national Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse, the release said. For information regarding internet safety education, sextortion and resources for victims of crimes, visit the Project Safe Childhood’s resources web page.
