A 29-year-old Taylor man is facing federal child pornography charges after FBI agents say they found dozens of child sexual abuse videos and images tucked inside a password-protected phone folder labeled “Shhh.” Harold Joseph LaBeau was charged Wednesday, August 12, with distribution and receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, following a vehicle stop and search of his home in Taylor.
According to WDIV ClickOnDetroit, law enforcement stopped LaBeau’s vehicle near Telegraph and Pennsylvania Avenue in Taylor on August 12, then seized his cell phone from the vehicle’s center console. LaBeau had addresses on Hipp Street and Duncan Street in Taylor, and the FBI initiated a search of his Taylor home the same day. Federal investigators say they had already tied subscriber information and cell phone records to LaBeau the previous month, in July.
Investigators allege LaBeau used the Kik messaging app to send and receive child sexually abusive material, according to FBI Detroit. LaBeau admitted to agents that he used the Kik usernames investigators had discovered, and he allegedly admitted to sending and receiving child sexual abuse material on the platform. He also told agents that the material was located in his phone’s secure folder, per the report.
What Agents Say Was Hidden Behind the Passcode
The FBI says it found at least 19 images and 61 videos in the password-protected secure folder labeled “Shhh,” and that most of those files met the federal definition of child pornography. Such secure folders can be hidden from a phone’s home screen and app list entirely, and are typically accessed only through a passcode or biometric lock, the bureau noted.
Among the files described in the case, one video ran 3 minutes and 34 seconds and depicted a 10-year-old boy in a sexual act with an adult female. Another, lasting 1 minute and 43 seconds, depicted a minor female engaged in a sexual act, while a 20-second video allegedly showed a minor female believed to be around 6 to 8 years old in a sexual act with an adult male. A separate video described in the complaint showed a young boy in a bathtub engaged in a sexual act, running 46 seconds. Investigators say the secure folder also contained content specifically involving mothers and sons.
Kik Chats and a Cash App Payment
According to the complaint, LaBeau told another Kik user in March that “11-16 is what I like most but love mom and son especially when the son is real young. Mega links are great.” Federal investigators say LaBeau also stated in multiple Kik chats that he preferred mother/son content. That same month, LaBeau allegedly paid a Kik user $35, and investigators say the two negotiated a price for child sexual abuse material and exchanged Cash App usernames. The FBI later found the Cash App on LaBeau’s phone, and agents say his phone number matched the number tied to the Kik and email accounts under investigation. A separate Kik user allegedly instructed LaBeau to send payment and download one of two encrypted messaging apps.
FBI Detroit reported receiving three NCMEC CyberTipline reports tied to Kik activity between April and July 2025. A Kik user allegedly linked to LaBeau sent at least six files of apparent child sexually abusive material in April 2025, followed by at least 33 files in May 2025, and at least nine files in July 2026, according to the FBI. Investigators say they ultimately found at least 40 videos depicting child pornography across files tied to those CyberTipline reports, including a 54-second video showing a minor girl in a sexual act with an adult male, a 29-second video showing a minor female in a bathtub in a sexual act with an adult male, and a 1-minute-44-second video showing a young female child in a sexual act with an adult male.
Federal Exposure and What Comes Next
LaBeau was arrested and temporarily detained, with a detention hearing held Thursday, August 13, in the Eastern District of Michigan. It remains unresolved whether he continues to be held following that hearing, and it is also unclear whether the Kik contacts identified in his chats will face separate federal charges.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, receiving or distributing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for a first-time offender, according to the Barone Defense Firm. Simple possession, by contrast, carries no mandatory minimum for a first offense but can still bring up to 10 years in prison. If a defendant has prior sex crime convictions, federal statutes can push mandatory minimums for receiving or distributing such material up to 15 or 20 years, with maximum terms reaching as high as 40 years or life, per Hanlon Law. In July, the same federal court district secured a 10-year prison sentence for a Ypsilanti man convicted of distributing child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Part of a Larger Pattern in Taylor and Beyond
The case adds to a string of local and federal efforts targeting online child exploitation in the Taylor area. In February 2025, Homeland Security Investigations Detroit partnered with the Taylor Police Department in a multi-agency undercover operation in Wayne County that led to three arrests and identified 15 potential human trafficking victims, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to Hoodline, Taylor police also arrested 14 men in a sting last November following a series of undercover operations throughout 2025 targeting online predators. The city routinely assigns its own officers directly to federal task forces run by the FBI and ICE to assist with regional investigations, according to the City of Taylor.
Nationally, electronic service providers are required under federal law to report suspected child sexual abuse material to NCMEC’s CyberTipline as soon as reasonably possible, a mandate detailed by the U.S. Senate. NCMEC data published in June found that online offenders are increasingly shifting to private messaging and encrypted apps to evade detection, complicating investigations across platforms, per MissingKids.org. The organization’s complete 2025 CyberTipline report, released in May, detailed millions of digital leads disbursed to federal, state, and local agencies working to identify and arrest online predators.
