WAYCROSS, Ga. – After Jacques Donte Taylor, 24, of Waycross, pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of coercion and enticement of a child under the age of 18 to engage in illegal sexual activity, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Tayor to sentenced Monday to 286 months in prison.
Taylor's prison term will be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release and he will also be required to register as a sex offender.
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Evidence developed during the investigation revealed that Taylor communicated on Facebook with a 12-year-old girl. These communications led to the production of child pornography and the eventual coercion and enticement of the victim to engage in sex acts with him on two occasions.
Taylor pleaded guilty to the offense in December.
Taylor's co-defendant, Donnel Cornelius Shavers, 23, also of Waycross, was sentenced on April 20 to 25 years in federal prison, to be followed by a life term of supervised release following his guilty pleas to charges of production of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a child.
"The conduct of these individuals was abusive and exploitative. The victims of their behavior were minors who had their innocence and childhood stolen from them.," U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver said. "The pattern of predatory behavior shown by both Taylor and Shavers is one of the many disturbing components of their criminal conduct and the lengthy sentence given to each by the Court is completely justified."
This prosecution was the result of a joint investigation by the Ware County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
"I am proud of our investigator who began the initial investigation, which led to Mr. Taylor's arrest," Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal said. "I am prouder still of the level of support and the spirit of cooperation between our agency and Homeland Security Investigations, which afforded the manpower and resources needed to broaden the scope of the investigation so that all the victims in this case will get the opportunity for justice."