A judge on Monday sentenced a Kingsville man to more than two decades in prison in connection with child pornography charges.

U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Keith Edward Taylor, 33, to 27 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for production of child pornography.  Upon his release from prison, Taylor will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

According to Taylor’s plea agreement, in 2017, Taylor used an instant-messaging app to communicate with minors throughout the U.S. and internationally. Taylor admitted that he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with at least five minor male victims, ranging from 12 to 15 years old, and residing in various states, including Texas, Massachusetts, Iowa, Michigan, and Colorado.

During the course of his conversations with the boys, Taylor typically portrayed himself as a woman. Taylor repeatedly requested that the boys send sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Taylor sent some of the boys sexually explicit photos of women, falsely claiming that they were photos of himself.

Taylor also used the app to distribute and trade child pornography with adults. In December 2017, Taylor traded child pornography with a user who sent Taylor a pornographic photo of a child that the user claimed was his own nine-year-old stepchild. Taylor repeatedly requested sexually explicit video of the child and discussed the other user engaging in sex acts with the child. Taylor also maintained digital collections of child pornography in multiple cloud storage accounts and electronic devices.

There is no parole in the federal system.