Tampa Republic

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Jessie Thomas Taylor (42, Tampa) with sex trafficking of a minor. If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

According to the indictment, Taylor advertised and transported a minor victim and caused the minor victim to engage in a commercial sex act.

"An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty," stated the release.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.