Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Crime

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Christopher Stephen Taylor, 52, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to possession of prepubescent child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 19, 2022, Taylor attempted to print images depicting prepubescent child pornography from two compact disks he brought to the self-service photo kiosk of a St. Albans pharmacy. Taylor was unable to obtain the prints and left the store. A pharmacy employee found the child pornography uploaded to the kiosk and contacted law enforcement.

Taylor admitted to possessing 1,769 images and videos of prepubescent child pornography. Many of the children in the images were under the age of 12. Several of the images depict children subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct. Taylor admitted that one of the images depicts an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent girl.

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the St. Albans Police Department, and the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White is prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-181.

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