James T. Jacks
Acting United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

BROTHER AND SISTER PLEAD GUILTY IN
COUNTERFEITING/EXPLOSIVE DEVICE INVESTIGATION

FORT WORTH, Texas — Jack Arvil Taylor, Jr., and his sister, Amy Catherine Taylor, of Fort Worth, pled guilty this morning before U.S. District Judge John McBryde to firearm and counterfeiting charges, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Jack Taylor has been in custody since his arrest in early December. Following Amy Taylor’s guilty plea this morning, Judge McBryde remanded her to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.

Specifically, Jack Arvil Taylor, 25, pled guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Amy Catherine Taylor, 29, pled guilty to attempting to pass a counterfeit obligation of the U.S. and faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. They are both scheduled to be sentenced by Judge McBryde on May 29, 2009.

During their plea hearing, Jack and Amy Taylor admitted that on July 3, 2008, they entered a Wal-Mart located at 7451 McCart Avenue, in Fort Worth, and attempted to purchase a money order using $600 in counterfeit U.S. currency.

On December 2, 2008, while executing a search warrant at a home that was occupied by Jack Arvil Taylor, Jr., and others, in far south Fort Worth, law enforcement officers found multiple destructive devices in Jack Taylor’s bedroom. Those devices contained a mix of explosive powders, metal pellets, and thick metal staples, and each of those devices was capable of operating as a destructive device.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Klinck is prosecuting the case.

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