A 66-year-old former Falls Church youth minister made his initial court appearance Monday on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing children over nearly two decades, with prosecutors alleging the misconduct stretched from a prominent Northern Virginia congregation to churches in Atlanta. Jeffrey Turner Taylor, who now lives in Milford, Ohio, was arrested on charges involving illegal sexual activity with minors, and he is scheduled for arraignment in the Eastern District of Virginia on September 24.
A Youth Minister's Long Reach Across Three States
Taylor served as youth minister at The Falls Church from 1990 to 2002, according to InsideNoVa. During that tenure he directed Cornerstone, a youth ministry program that grew to 500 kids, according to the Falls Church News-Press. The program was known for frequent overnight retreats and out-of-state trips, as documented at the time by The Washington Post.
Federal prosecutors allege Taylor groomed multiple boys under the guise of spiritual guidance, per the U.S. Attorney's Office, and that he traveled with the alleged intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with boys at ministry events in another state or country. Prosecutors further allege he used sexual horseplay, probing inquiries into boys' sexual secrets and habits, and revelations about his own sexual experiences as part of the alleged grooming, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria reported the allegations of sexual grooming and abuse.
Allegations Followed Him to Atlanta
After leaving Falls Church, Taylor went on to serve as youth minister at two other churches in Atlanta, and prosecutors allege he groomed and sexually abused a boy in his Atlanta ministry as well. Investigators say his alleged grooming and abuse spanned at least 1990 through 2008, and prosecutors allege he engaged or attempted to engage in the sexual molestation of multiple boys, per the U.S. Attorney's Office. From 2013 to 2023, Taylor worked as a charitable fundraiser for the University of Cincinnati Foundation, soliciting donations and coordinating fundraising for UC Health's Gardner Neuroscience Institute, according to The Roys Report. He was living in Milford, Ohio, at the time of his arrest this month.
Church's Own Investigation Preceded Federal Case
The federal indictment follows years of internal reckoning at the church where Taylor once worked. In April 2024, The Falls Church Anglican released an 86-page report authored by law firm Isler Dare P.C. detailing a six-month independent investigation into the sexual abuse allegations against Taylor, an inquiry that was commissioned after victims' parents brought complaints to a regional bishop, per the same Roys Report account. The report found that church leadership first received a credible disclosure regarding Taylor's abuse back in 2007, prompting then-Rector Rev. John Yates to notify Taylor's subsequent employer in Atlanta — but church leaders were criticized in the report for not launching a full internal investigation or public disclosure at that time.
The congregation itself underwent a significant change in the years between Taylor's departure and the investigation. The church, originally known as The Falls Church Episcopal, saw an overwhelming majority of its congregation vote in December 2006 to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church and become The Falls Church Anglican, a split that occurred years after Taylor had already left the church in 2002. In August 2024, Isler Dare P.C. issued a formal addendum to its investigation report, while current and former church staff were separately released from confidentiality obligations. The church also mentioned counseling assistance, a congregational care team member and an email address for affected individuals.
Federal Statute Carries Steep Mandatory Minimum
The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative created in May 2006 under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to coordinate federal, state and local resources against child sexual exploitation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The prosecution was brought under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). Taylor faces up to 105 years in prison if convicted, InsideNoVa reports.
Taylor made his initial court appearance on Monday and is scheduled for arraignment in the Eastern District of Virginia on September 24. The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse is located in Alexandria; the courthouse has previously been photographed by Angela Woolsey for FFXnow. The FBI Washington Field Office is urging anyone with information to contact the office.
