Two Georgia Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Sex Crimes
Two Georgia men were sentenced to federal prison this week for separate child sexual exploitation crimes investigated as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Patrick John Irvine, 22, of Shiloh, Georgia, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. Irvine met a 12-year-old girl, Jane Doe, on social media and traveled from Georgia to Alabama to pick her up. Jane Doe was eventually located and rescued by law enforcement.
Terric Taylor, 28, of Fortson, Georgia, was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for possessing hundreds of files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his phone. Taylor, a former contractor at Fort Moore, uploaded child pornography to a social media platform and admitted to investigators that he had a collection of child sexual abuse videos on his phone.
“Our office has zero tolerance for people who prey on children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “These cases demonstrate our commitment to using every resource at our disposal to investigate and prosecute Project Safe Childhood cases and hold child sex offenders accountable.”
Both Irvine and Taylor will be required to register as sex offenders upon release from prison.
“With a victim-centered approach, the FBI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold those who choose to prey on our most vulnerable citizens accountable,” said FBI Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke.
“These cases show how local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to fight for the safety of our children,” said Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley.
Case Details
According to court documents and statements referenced in court in the Irvine case, sometime in mid-March 2024, Irvine met 12-year-old Jane Doe on Snapchat, and they continued to communicate through Snapchat, Facetime and text messages over the next several weeks. Irvine made plans with Jane Doe to travel approximately four hours from his home in Harris County to a meeting place near her home in Alabama. They met on the night of March 23, 2024, and on March 24, 2024, Irvine texted Jane Doe to, “start packing, I’ll get you next weekend.” Irvine returned to Jane Doe’s Alabama residence on the evening of Friday, March 29, 2024, and drove her to Georgia. Jane Doe’s family members reported her missing the next day. Jane Doe’s mother acquired her daughter’s cell phone records from AT&T and discovered a high frequency of calls between the victim and a number she did not recognize, which was Irvine’s phone number. She attempted to call and text Irvine’s number, and finally got a response:
• Defendant: “Sorry, I’m at work. Is everything okay?”
• Mom: “No I need to talk to you now. I’m [the victim’s] mother. Please answer.”
• Defendant: “[victim’s first name] who?”
• Mom: “Why is a 12-year-old calling the number multiple times late at night if you are old enough to be working? It’s all over my call AT&T call logs.”
• Defendant: “We were going to hang out then I found out how old she was, and I haven’t talked to her since. Is everything okay?”
• Mom: “You need to call me. The police will be calling soon.”
• Defendant: “Sorry I’m at work and I can’t call right now.”
After identifying the subscriber of this number as Irvine, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office was notified and dispatched to Irvine’s residence. Upon arrival, Irvine emerged shirtless from the house and initially denied Jane Doe was in the house, but then stated that she had just gotten out of the shower. Jane Doe escaped out of a window and was found hiding in the woods.
According to court documents and statements referenced in court in the Taylor case, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a Cybertip on July 17, 2022, from the social media platform X concerning user “strayBreeders04” who had uploaded a file of child pornography on the platform. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) discovered Taylor was the user and was employed as a contractor at Fort Moore. Working with Fort Moore’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Taylor was located, and he admitted to agents that he uploaded images of child pornography to X. Agents found several files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his phone. Taylor estimated he had approximately 50 videos of children engaging in sexual acts on his device.
Project Safe Childhood
Both the these cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Irvine case was investigated by the FBI, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Walker County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office.
The Taylor case was investigated by the FBI, GBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the cases for the Government
