Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A man from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for attempting to sexually exploit a child. Jermaine Taylor, Jr., age 27, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp after pleading guilty to Coercion and Enticement. In addition to his prison term, Taylor was ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release and pay a $3,000 fine.
Court documents show that between May 19 and June 6, 2025, Taylor communicated through a social media application with an undercover agent who claimed to have a 9-year-old daughter. During these conversations, Taylor described his intent to commit sexual acts with children and provided explicit details about his intentions. He arranged a meeting in Toledo with the purported child and drove there from Columbus. When he arrived at the designated location, FBI agents arrested him.
The case was investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency’s Violent Crimes Against Children Taskforce. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Alissa M. Sterling prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country that brings together federal, state, and local resources to address child sexual exploitation online and rescue victims. More information on this initiative can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Reports of child exploitation can be made at https://www.cybertipline.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678 at any time.
