Springfield Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Crimes Against Children

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A Springfield, Illinois, man, Evan Taylor, 28, was sentenced on August 29, 2024, to 480 months' imprisonment for the offenses of sexual exploitation of a minor, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity, enticement of a minor, and the use of interstate facilities to attempt to transmit information about a minor.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless, the government established that between 2018 and 2020, Taylor victimized multiple children between the ages of seven and fifteen both by creating child pornography and then distributing images he created using multiple online chatting platforms. Taylor also sexually abused a child under his care, drove across state lines to have sex with a minor, and attempted to entice another minor victim. Taylor bragged about his sexual abuse online and demanded to have sex with one of the minors, even after the minor had become physically sick. The government noted that the creation and dissemination of the images of abuse further traumatized the victims, given that they have no way of knowing with certainty whether the images remain online or in the possession of others.

During the hearing, Judge Lawless categorized Taylor's actions as sickening, heinous, despicable, and predatory. She noted the egregiousness and continuing nature of Taylor's conduct and explained that he had taken away the security and innocence of the children he had victimized. Judge Lawless also said that the sentence was necessary to ensure the safety of the public and to provide just punishment.

A federal grand jury returned the fifteen-count indictment in December 2020, and Taylor was arrested that same month. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his arrest. He pleaded guilty to all fifteen counts in December 2023.

The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case. Assisting agencies included the Indiana State Police; the Jasonville, Indiana, Police Department; and the Marengo, Illinois, Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Illinois Attorney General's Office, the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Taylor was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.