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Sexual Offender
Conviction Records
Not Associated With The U.S. Military Or Government
An Unofficial Site
Of United States Military
Sexual Offender
Conviction Records
Not Associated With The U.S. Military Or Government
Benjamin Dwayne Taylor
Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) ) U.S. Marine Corps
Convicted Sex Offender
Purchase A 12-Year-Old Child For Sex
Name: Benjamin Dwayne Taylor
U.S. V. Taylor NMCCA 200600526
Decided 23 May 2007
Sentence adjudged 17 June 2005.
Plea: Guilty
Charges: Attempting to purchase a 12-year-old child for sex
Listed In National Sex Offenders Registry? Yes, Alabama
A military judge sitting as a special court-martial, convicted the appellant, in accordance with his pleas, of attempted service discrediting conduct by attempting to hire, entice, or persuade a child under the age of 14 years to enter San Diego County or to go to another part of San Diego County, for the purpose of committing willful and lewd or lascivious acts to gratify the appellant’s lust, passions or desires, in violation of Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 934. The appellant was sentenced to confinement for 165 days, reduction to pay grade E-6, and a bad-conduct discharge. The convening authority (CA) approved the sentence as adjudged.
The appellant admitted that in the 2002-2003 timeframe he was involved in a sexual relationship with Jennifer, a 41-year-old married prostitute and heroin addict. Early in 2003, the appellant asked Jennifer to set him up with a younger woman with whom he could do things on the weekends, and who did not have her personal problems. Unbeknownst to the appellant, Jennifer was a cooperating witness for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Jennifer reported to NCIS that the appellant wanted to have sex with a child and, based on this information, NCIS set up a sting operation.
On 7 February 2003, Jennifer made a recorded phone call to the appellant from the NCIS office on board Camp Pendleton, California. She informed the appellant that she found two girls for him, and asked him which one he wanted. Without asking any questions about their ages, the appellant replied that he wanted the younger one. She then told him that she was 12 years old. The appellant said “Oh yeah. Okay.” He agreed to meet Jennifer and the 12-year-old girl’s older sister the following Monday.
On 10 February 2003, the appellant met with Jennifer, who provided more information about “Lisa,” a fictitious 12-year-old girl. She informed the appellant that Lisa was coming from Los Angeles County to meet him in the Oceanside area of San Diego County, and also that the girl’s mother had committed suicide. She further explained that Lisa’s older sister did not want Lisa living with her because she had a new boyfriend.
Later that day, Jennifer called the appellant from the NCIS office on board Camp Pendleton. NCIS Special Agent (SA) Marin Larson, acting in an undercover capacity by pretending to be Lisa’s older sister “Marin,” also spoke to the appellant. Marin asked the appellant whether he wanted the same relationship with Lisa as he had with Jennifer, including having sex with Lisa. The appellant replied, “Yeah.” Id. at 53. Marin asked whether the appellant had ever done this before with a child and he replied, “No.” Id. Marin then asked the appellant how he knew that he was going to want the same relationship. The appellant replied that nothing was for certain and that Lisa may not even like him, although he thought he was a “pretty nice guy.” Id. at 54. The appellant stated that he wanted to have sex with Lisa as long as Lisa wanted to do it with him. The appellant agreed to have Lisa come live with him and asked Marin about his enrolling Lisa in school. The appellant further agreed to pay Jennifer and Marin $100.00 each as a finder’s fee. They agreed to meet at a restaurant to conclude the deal for Marin’s younger “sister.” Prosecution Exhibit 1 at 2. Later that evening, the appellant arrived at the restaurant as planned and was arrested by NCIS. The finder’s fees were found in envelopes in the appellant’s car.
At his court-martial, the appellant admitted that his conduct was service discrediting, in that it would reflect badly on the Marine Corps if civilians knew that a staff noncommissioned officer was contracting with a prostitute and the older sister of a 12-year-old girl to assist him in enticing a 12-year-old girl to mmove in with him for the ultimate purpose of having sex with her.
