A former youth minister for a Northern Virginia church faces federal child-exploitation charges after he allegedly sexually groomed multiple boys across the country under the guise of spiritual guidance, court documents show.
Jeffrey Turner Taylor, 66, who was arrested in Ohio and made an initial court appearance Monday, previously served as the youth ministry director for The Falls Church from 1990 to 2000 before moving into a family ministry role, which he held until 2002.
The Falls Church, a nearly 300-year-old Episcopal church, was established in 1732 and reconstructed in 1769, with George Washington serving as an early church warden.
During Taylor’s tenure as youth ministry director, he grew the youth program exponentially, which served students in sixth through 12th grade, the arrest affidavit states. The program, named Cornerstone, included weekly small group meetings, large gatherings on Sundays and one-on-one mentorship sessions.
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According to court documents, Taylor’s alleged habits of sexually grooming children in his ministry included inquiries into their sexual habits, gift-giving and horseplay. Investigators also allege Taylor traveled with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct by taking a boy with him to a ministry event in Chicago.
In 2002, Taylor moved to Atlanta to work at another church, where investigators allege he groomed a boy in his ministry, later sexually abusing him. He stayed in the city until 2013, when he moved to Milford, Ohio. The affidavit alleges Taylor’s grooming and abuse spanned from at least 1990 until 2008.
He is scheduled for arraignment in the Eastern District of Virginia on Sept. 24, and if convicted, faces up to 105 years in prison.
Officials are encouraging anyone with information who may have been a victim of Taylor to contact the FBI Washington Field Office here.
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