Richmond Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Pornography

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Richmond, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for distributing child pornography.

Zachary Ryan Taylor, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Friday, Sept. 15, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Taylor to pay $25,215 in restitution to the child victims depicted in the images of child pornography.

The court also sentenced Taylor to 20 years of supervised release following incarceration. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On March 8, 2023, Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. Taylor admitted that he participated in a chatroom through the online application Kik. Taylor communicated with an online covert employee with the FBI, claiming to be sexually active with a child victim. He sent the covert FBI employee an image of child pornography that he claimed was the child victim, although investigators do not believe the photo actually was a depiction of the child victim. Taylor also claimed he had been with a second child victim.

On Dec. 21, 2021, the FBI and other law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant at Taylor’s residence. Upon arrival at the residence, the emergency lights on law enforcement vehicles were activated, and officers knocked and announced their presence. Taylor narrowly opened the front door to look out. After he failed to completely open the door despite orders to open the door and show his hands, the door was forced open.

Investigators seized several cell phones and other electronic devices, which contained hundreds of videos and images of child pornography.

The Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force also investigated two cybertips, from Musical.ly and Kik, which reported that Taylor had uploaded images and videos of child pornography to those platforms.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the FBI and the Richmond, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."