Teen is lured to NY hotel for sex acts, feds say. His mom helps solve the case
A man lured a 13-year-old boy to a New York hotel for sex acts, officials said, and the boy’s mom later conducted her own search of hotels to seemingly figure out where it happened.
She ended up at an extended-stay hotel in Greece, New York, and “spoke to management” there, a criminal complaint filed in federal court said.
“According to the victim’s mother, management identified the room depicted in the photographs on the victim’s phone,” the complaint said.
Law enforcement found cannabis, beer bottles and the 13-year-old’s sweatshirt in a room that was rented by Jonathan Woody, the complaint said.
Now, Woody, 31, from Rochester, has pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York said in a June 30 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to his attorney July 1 and was awaiting a response.
Woody and the boy met through social media, prosecutors said.
In January 2024, Woody sent an Uber to pick the boy up and take him to a hotel, prosecutors said, and “while at the hotel, Woody provided alcohol and marijuana and engaged in sexual acts with the child.”
The boy’s family reported him missing after he didn’t return from a walk or answer texts or calls, according to the complaint.
He came home later in the evening, while deputies were investigating, the complaint said, and the next day the boy’s mom reported that she found “sexually suggestive pictures of the victim, semi-clothed, in a hotel room” after searching his phone.
She handed over his phone to deputies. She also got back in touch after learning her son met a man at a hotel during the time he was missing, the complaint said.
She reported that an Uber had picked up her son, made another stop to pick up the man, and then dropped them off at a hotel in Greece, New York, according to the complaint.
McClatchy News reached out to Uber for comment on July 1 and was waiting to hear back.
The company says on its website that riders must be at least 18 to have an account and make ride requests, and anyone under 18 must have an adult with them to ride.
The mom “searched hotels in Greece,” ultimately going to the extended-stay hotel, the complaint said.
Woody later admitted to meeting the boy “despite knowing that (he) was only 13 years old” and to engaging in sex acts with him, according to the complaint.
He faces 10 years to life in prison and a fine when he’s sentenced Oct. 30, prosecutors said.
Greece, New York, is about a 10-mile drive northwest from Rochester.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Teen is lured to NY hotel for sex acts, feds say. His mom helps solve the case."
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