INDIANAPOLIS—United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced that Russell C. Taylor, 43, Indianapolis, was charged by a criminal complaint today with seven counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography. Taylor appeared before a federal Magistrate Judge earlier this afternoon for his initial appearance, following his arrest last night by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Indiana State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These agencies are part of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI Safe Streets Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. The federal charges arose from a joint investigation of criminal activity started by the Indiana State Police.

“Protecting those who cannot protect themselves will always be a priority of this office,” said Minkler. “Adults who sexually exploit children by producing child pornography knowingly cause vast harm to their victims and should expect appropriately strong punishment.”

Law enforcement agents received information that Taylor was allegedly in possession of illegal pornographic images and served a warrant at his home on April 29, 2015. During the search, the investigators alleged discovered a cache of sexually explicit photos and videos Taylor allegedly produced by secretly filming minor children at this home. The investigators also allegedly found over 400 videos of child pornography on computers and storage media recovered from Taylor’s home office in his Indianapolis residence. Some of these videos were produced inside the bathrooms or bedrooms of Taylor’s current and former Indianapolis residences, during the period between 2012 and 2015.

According to Senior Litigation Counsel Steven DeBrota, who is prosecuting this case for the government, Taylor faces decades in prison if convicted on all counts.

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 Attorney’s Office 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 “resource.”

A criminal complaint is only a charge. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in federal court.