Jessie Thomas Taylor Sentenced to 24 Years in Federal Prison Following Guilty Plea in Child Exploitation Case
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Jessie Thomas Taylor, 43, of Tampa, to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for the sex trafficking of a minor. Taylor had pleaded guilty to the charge on June 6, 2025.
According to court documents, Taylor engaged in the criminal activity from approximately April 2021 through December 2022. During this period, he exploited a 16-year-old victim by creating and posting advertisements of the minor on adult escort websites, promoting sexual acts.
Taylor’s role was comprehensive, involving the coordination and management of communications with potential buyers. He was also responsible for reserving hotel rooms for the victim to engage in commercial sexual activity and received proceeds from the sex acts.
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The case was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Tampa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry prosecuted the case.
The prosecution of Taylor is another successful action brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006. This project aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse by mobilizing federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute offenders, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims.
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