Leigha Simonton, United States Attorney, Northern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
An Abilene man, Victor Van Taylor, 31, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for sexually abusing his friend's four-year-old son. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad Meacham.
Taylor was charged in June 2024 and indicted the following month. He pleaded guilty to production of child pornography in September 2024 and received his sentence from U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix on Tuesday. As part of his sentence, Taylor will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The case began when law enforcement discovered a 26-second video on the dark web depicting an adult man sexually abusing a four-year-old child. The individual was later identified as Taylor.
During a search of his home, officers presented Taylor with a screengrab from the video and questioned him about its production. Taylor admitted to creating and distributing the video online in exchange for other child sexual abuse material.
The victim was identified as the son of one of Taylor's friends. According to the child's mother, the assault likely occurred while Taylor was babysitting her son.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, while prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas – Abilene Division.
