A onetime youth leader at a historic Virginia church now faces federal sex-abuse charges that span decades. A grand jury has indicted 66-year-old Jeff Turner Taylor, who worked at the Falls Church Episcopal from 1990 to 2002, on seven counts, including coercing or attempting to coerce three minors into sexual activity, as well as traveling across state lines intending to engage in illegal sex with minors, reports the Washington Post. He has been released and is due in court on Sept. 24. His attorney says he'll plead not guilty.
The case follows years of allegations by former youth group members and parents, which led to a church-commissioned investigation in 2024 and an FBI probe. An FBI affidavit describes at least six alleged victims and says Taylor groomed boys "under the guise of spiritual guidance." Former youth group members tell the Post that he would take them on "Coke dates" at eateries, bowling alleys, or even sometimes in parked cars—and those "dates" "often involved extremely graphic discussions, under the pretense of Taylor urging boys to curb their lustful habits," per the Post.
Taylor, originally from Ohio, was a fundraiser for the University of Cincinnati Foundation for at least a decade, with a foundation spokesperson saying that Taylor underwent a background check and that the foundation wasn't aware of any sex abuse allegations until after he'd left, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. Taylor faces a potential 105-year sentence if convicted, per a DOJ release.
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