Former Fort Moore employee pleads guilty to possessing child pornography, DOJ says

A former Fort Moore employee pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to one count of possessing child pornography, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Terric Taylor, 27, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison followed by at least five years to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine plus potential restitution to be determined by the court, the DOJ said. Taylor will have to register as a sex offender upon being released from prison, according to the release. His sentence will be determined by a judge.

Court documents and statements referenced in court say the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip in July 2022 from social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding a file of child pornography uploaded to the platform by user “strayBreeders04,” according to the DOJ.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office discovered Taylor was the user and worked at Fort Moore, according to the release.

Taylor was located and admitted to agents he uploaded images of child pornography to X, according to the release.

Agents found several files of child sexual abuse material on Taylor’s phone, the DOJ said. Taylor estimated he had approximately 50 videos of children engaging in sexual acts on his device, the release says.

“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,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary in a statement. “This case illustrates how people from many parts of the community are helping us hold offenders accountable for possessing child sexual abuse material.”

The DOJ didn’t say in its release what job Taylor worked at Fort Moore. His plea agreement also didn’t specify his position.

Taylor’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28, according to the DOJ.

This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 12:37 PM.