November 22, 2021 - RIVERSIDE, California – A San Bernardino County man has been found guilty of criminal charges for paying a teenager he met on the internet to have sex with him on two occasions, the Justice Department announced today.

Jason Dee Taylor, 41, of Fontana, was found guilty of one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. A federal jury returned the verdict on Friday afternoon.

According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, Taylor contacted the victim on a public website. They exchanged messages through that website’s messenger feature and then switched to communicating via Instagram messenger.

Although she initially represented that she was 19 years old, the victim told defendant almost immediately that she was 16, even though she was 15 years old at the time. In response, Taylor wrote her, “I’ll be honest. I like your age, it’s kinda hot.”

Twice in April 2020, Taylor drove to Santa Barbara County, picked up the victim, took her to a hotel, and paid her a total of $600 for sex.

That same month, the victim’s family friend, whose phone she used to communicate with Taylor, found the messages between Taylor and the victim. When a member of the victim’s family sent Taylor a message informing him that they were going to report him to law enforcement, Taylor deleted his Instagram account, but not before the family friend had taken screenshots of the incriminating communications.

United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal has scheduled a February 7, 2022, sentencing hearing, at which time Taylor will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The FBI investigated this matter, with the assistance of the Guadalupe Police Department, the Santa Maria Police Department, and the Fontana Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.

Source: DOJ Release