A former Fort Moore employee has entered a guilty plea for possession of child pornography, facing up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office reports. Terric Taylor, 37, from Fortson, Georgia, pleaded guilty on Oct.15 before U.S. District Judge Clay Land. In addition to prison time, Taylor could be looking at a minimum of five years to a possible lifetime of supervised release, along with a hefty fine of up to $250,000.
According to the announcement made by U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary, Taylor must also register as a sex offender after his release. Sentencing for Taylor is scheduled for January 28, 2025. The case against Taylor comes under Project Safe Childhood,, an initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
In a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Leary said, "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." Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Richard Bilson of FBI Atlanta's Columbus office stated, "With every file Taylor downloaded or shared with others, he compounded the unspeakable harm endured by these vulnerable victims."
Investigation into Taylor began with a Cybertip from a social media platform, identified as X, which led the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to discover Taylor's activities. Taylor, who worked at Fort Moore, was found with approximately 50 videos depicting children in sexual acts on his device. "The GBI and our partners are dedicated to ensuring every child receives the freedom and protection they deserve,” GBI Director Chris Hosey was quoted in the justice department's release.
The case was the result of a collaborative effort, involving the FBI, GBI, Harris County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals is named as the prosecutor handling the case on behalf of the government.
