Former Youth Minister Indicted in Multistate Sex-Abuse Case

Jeffrey Turner Taylor, 66, of Milford, Ohio, has been indicted on federal charges alleging that he groomed and sexually abused multiple boys during a youth-ministry career spanning at least 1990 to 2008. Prosecutors say Taylor served at The Falls Church in Virginia from 1990 to 2002 and later at two Atlanta churches, where he allegedly used sexual horseplay, intrusive questions about boys’ sexual histories and disclosures about his own experiences as part of the grooming. Investigators also allege that he took boys to out-of-state or international ministry events intending to engage in illegal sexual conduct and abused or attempted to abuse multiple minors. The Falls Church commissioned an independent investigation after allegations emerged and released its findings and related materials to parishioners in 2024. Taylor faces charges of enticing minors for illegal sexual activity and traveling with intent to engage in illegal sexual conduct with minors; he is scheduled for arraignment Sept. 24 and could face up to 105 years in prison if convicted, while the FBI continues seeking potential victims.