Toledo, OH → A 27-year-old man from Grand Rapids has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement following an undercover investigation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Jermaine Taylor Jr. was sentenced on February 5, 2026 by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp in the Northern District of Ohio to 168 months (14 years) in prison. In addition to the prison term, he was ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release after his release and pay a $3,000 fine.
According to court documents, between May 19 and June 6, 2025, Taylor communicated through a social media application with an individual who was actually an undercover agent posing as a parent with a 9-year-old daughter. During the conversations, Taylor expressed his interest in engaging in sexual activity with a child and arranged to meet in person.
On June 6, 2025, Taylor drove from Columbus, where he was located at the time, to Toledo for the planned meeting. When he arrived at the pre-arranged location, FBI agents arrested him and took him into custody.
Taylor later pleaded guilty in October 2025 to coercion and enticement.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency’s Violent Crimes Against Children Taskforce. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Alissa M. Sterling for the Northern District of Ohio.
Federal officials said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative focused on combating child sexual exploitation and abuse and identifying offenders who attempt to target children online.
Anyone with information related to child exploitation is encouraged to report it through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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