A 66-year-old Milford man faces federal charges alleging he sexually abused boys over nearly two decades while working as a youth minister at churches in Virginia and Georgia.
Jeffrey Turner Taylor appeared in court Monday, Sept. 14, on charges of enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual activity and traveling with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced. WKRC first reported the local connection.
Taylor served as a youth minister at The Falls Church, a northern Virginia congregation, from 1990 to 1999, according to federal authorities. Court records allege he groomed boys by presenting inappropriate conduct as spiritual guidance.
Federal prosecutors allege Taylor's grooming methods included sexual horseplay, conversations about the boys' sexual experiences and sharing details of his own. He also allegedly took boys to ministry events in other states and countries with the intent to engage in illegal sexual conduct, prosecutors said. On several of those occasions, Taylor allegedly engaged or attempted to engage in sexual molestation of multiple boys, according to court documents cited by Daily Voice.
Taylor also served as a youth minister at two churches in Atlanta, where he allegedly groomed and sexually abused another boy, according to authorities. The names of those churches have not been made public. Investigators believe the alleged conduct spanned from 1990 to 2008.
WUSA9 reported Taylor faces seven federal counts for conduct dating back decades. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 105 years in prison.
Taylor has not entered a plea.
No defense attorney for Taylor has been identified in public records, and no response from Taylor or a representative appears in available court filings.
Taylor is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, Sept. 24, in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced the indictment Tuesday, Sept. 15.
The FBI's Washington Field Office is seeking to identify additional victims of Taylor. Anyone with information or who believes they may have been a victim can contact the FBI through its victim-information page.
