RICHMOND, Va. – A Glen Allen man was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in prison for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, in response to a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, on Feb. 14, 2024, pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement obtained the cellphone of Phillip Michael Taft, 40, at his probation office. During a review of the phone, investigators identified photos and videos depicting CSAM. Investigators also searched Taft’s synchronous account in which they identified approximately 20 videos depicting CSAM.
The FBI reviewed text messages on Taft’s phone and identified an exchange from Feb. 12 to 14, 2024, in which Taft discussed various sexual and pornographic topics and exchanged several images and videos, including at least one depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Taft has several previous criminal convictions, most recently on May 6, 2025, of eight felony counts for the sexual abuse of animals and eight felony counts for permitting sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on premises under his ownership or control. Taft’s federal sentence will be served consecutively to his state sentence.
Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Janet Jin Ah Lee and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore prosecuted the case.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-79.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Virginia — U.S. Department of Justice press release.