Former Fort Moore employee pleads guilty in child pornography case

COLUMBUS – A former employee of Fort Moore has admitted he possessed images of child sexual abuse material on his phone.

Terric Taylor, 37, of Fortson, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Oct. 15. Taylor faces a maximum of 20 years in prison to be followed by at least five years up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine plus potential restitution to be determined by the court. In addition, Taylor will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Every sexually explicit video of a child is a permanent record of that child’s abuse, which lives on and can cause great suffering for the victim,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “This case illustrates how people from many parts of the community are helping us hold offenders accountable for possessing child sexual abuse material.”

“With every file Taylor downloaded or shared with others, he compounded the unspeakable harm endured by these vulnerable victims,” Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Richard Bilson of FBI Atlanta’s Columbus office said. “Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our dedicated law enforcement partners and federal prosecutors, Taylor will now be held accountable for his crimes.”

“The GBI and our partners are dedicated to ensuring every child receives the freedom and protection they deserve,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said. “Every image or video of child sexual abuse material has the potential to victimize a child repeatedly. This case is a testament to the combined efforts of the GBI, our criminal justice partners and our community members to hold criminals accountable and fight for the safety of our children.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court in the Taylor case, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a Cybertip on July 17, 2022, from the social media platform X concerning user “strayBreeders04,” who had uploaded a file of child pornography on the platform. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office discovered Taylor was the user and was employed at Fort Moore.

Working with Fort Moore’s Criminal Investigation Division, Taylor was located, and he admitted to agents that he uploaded images of child pornography to X. Agents found several files of child sexual abuse material on his phone. Taylor estimated he had approximately 50 videos of children engaging in sexual acts on his device.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI, GBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals is prosecuting the case for the government.

Special Illustration: Metro Creative