Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
An Abilene man who sexually abused his friend’s four-year-old son was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Victor Van Taylor, 31, was charged via criminal complaint in June 2024 and indicted the following month. He pleaded guilty in September 2024 to production of child pornography and was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix to 25 years in federal prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to plea papers, in June 2024, law enforcement identified a 26-second video of an adult man sexually abusing a four-year-old child on the darkweb. The man was later identified as Mr. Taylor.
While executing a search warrant at his home, officers showed Mr. Taylor a screengrab of the video and asked if he produced it. Mr. Taylor lowered his head and admitted that he had produced the video and posted it online in exchange for other child sexual abuse material.
Law enforcement identified the victim as the son of Mr. Taylor’s friend. The child’s mother told officers the assault likely happened while Mr. Taylor was babysitting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas – Abilene Division prosecuted the case.