US couple sentenced to decades in prison for sexually molesting children

(CMR) A US couple who sexually molested young children and secretly filmed the abuse, sharing the videos with the former spokesperson for Subway charitable foundation Jared Fogle, was sentenced to a combined 60 years in prison.

Russell Taylor (50) was sentenced to 27 years in prison, while his ex-wife Angela Baldwin (40) was sentenced to 33 years in a Indiana court on Monday, 9 April.

Taylor pleaded guilty last year to 30 child pornography and sexual exploitation crimes for his acts against nine children aged nine to 16 years old. Two of the girls were sexually molested by Taylor and his wife, Angela Baldwin.

The couple shared videos and photos of the girls captured via hidden cameras with Fogle, who was sentenced in 2015 to 15 years imprisonment for possession or distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor.

Baldwin was convicted in October 2021 on four child exploitation and child pornography crimes.

Taylor’s maximum sentence could have been life imprisonment; however, he received a lesser sentence because he provided vital information that helped to bring charges against Baldwin and Fogle.

“The Taylors have finally been held accountable for their years of heinous sexual exploitation of children,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers said.

“Child sexual abusers must be held accountable for the lifelong impact of these crimes on survivors and their families. The prosecutors, investigators, and analysts of Indiana’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will not relent in our mission to protect children from these offenders. I commend all of the dedicated professionals who fought to take these child predators out of our community and help to bring justice to their victims.” Myers added.

One of the victims told IndyStar she didn’t think 27 years was enough.

“We have a lifetime sentence,” she said, referring to the grief and trauma she and other victims are still living with.

According to Court documents, the investigation into Taylor, Baldwin, and Fogle began in 2014, when an acquaintance of Taylor and Baldwin contacted the Indiana State Police to report that Taylor had offered to send her child sexual abuse material.

In 2015, a search warrant was executed at the home that Taylor and Baldwin shared. Child sexual abuse material was discovered on multiple electronic devices and law enforcement officers concluded that there were likely hidden cameras in the house.

Taylor and Fogle were both charged, pled guilty, and convicted in 2015. Taylor appealed, and his conviction was vacated in 2020. During the subsequent re-investigation, investigators discovered evidence that implicated Baldwin, and she was charged with production of child sex abuse material, possession of child sex abuse material, and conspiracy to produce child sex abuse material.