BURLINGTON, Vt. — A South Burlington man was arrested Oct. 28 by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents after an HSI investigation uncovered his alleged participation in child sexual exploitation.
Jason McGrath, 44, of South Burlington has been charged by criminal complaint with enticing minors to produce child sexual abuse material.
McGrath appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on Oct. 29, who ordered McGrath be detained pending a detention hearing on Nov. 1.
According to court records, between March 25, 2023, and Sept. 26, 2024, McGrath used an online chat application to knowingly persuade, induce, entice and coerce minors to produce child pornography, now referred to as child sexual abuse material. McGrath explicitly sought young girls via the online application, requested others to sexually abuse them, and sought video and visual depictions of the abuse. McGrath also is alleged to have paid money in exchange for child sexual abuse materials, including by sending funds through an online payment system to a country in Southeast Asia known to law enforcement as a location where child sex-trafficking networks operate.
McGrath was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while reentering the United States from Canada on Oct. 28. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at his South Burlington residence while McGrath was detained and located a substantial amount of computing equipment, including a high-performance gaming computer, an enterprise-level server rack (including a router, network switch, and network area storage), and other equipment capable of storing and processing large amounts of data. A review of this equipment by law enforcement is ongoing.
The complaint contains allegations only and McGrath is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and up to life imprisonment if convicted.
The investigation was led by HSI New England’s Burlington Resident Agent in Charge office and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce with assistance from CBP and the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department.
HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.