Brookline man sentenced to 15 years in prison for exploiting children on Snapchat

A courtroom at the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. Photo courtesy U.S. District Court Scott Cunha, a 26-year-old Brookline resident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week on charges that he enticed children to send him sexual images over Snapchat.  Cunha, who formerly worked for the town of Brookline as a lifeguard and swim coach, was charged last January and pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children in October 2025.  On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Myong Joun sentenced him to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.  Federal prosecutors said that Cunha used Snapchat to communicate with multiple minors between the ages of 13 and 16 starting in at least 2022.  “He enticed the children to take nude images and videos of themselves and send them to him over Snapchat, often in exchange for the promise or actual transfer of money or gifts,” the Department of Justice said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Cunha also tried to persuade his minor victims to meet him in person for sex acts by offering to pay them money in exchange for doing so.”  Cunha allegedly met at least one minor in
Read More