South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced that a Charleston County man, Michael Bentz, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. Bentz pleaded guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree on September 6, 2024, before the Honorable Judge Jennifer McCoy in Charleston County.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and state and international leaders convened with university officials on Monday to address the rising antisemitism on college campuses.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Jeremy Adam Belisle, 41, of Wellford, S.C., on eight charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and Greenville County Sheriff's Office, both also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Casey Price, 26, of West Columbia, S.C., on four charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of John Eric Gibbs, 61, of North Charleston, S.C., on nine charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office, Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, Charleston County Sheriff's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations, all members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the sentencing of Gabriel Hostetler, an Upstate man, to prison for the sexual exploitation of minors. On September 3, 2024, Hostetler pleaded guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree, in Pickens County before Judge William C. McMaster III.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson filed a brief on Tuesday in a First Amendment case aimed at protecting students' free-speech rights. The brief, joined by attorneys general from 21 other states, was submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and addresses an Ohio school district's policy requiring students to use preferred pronouns or face punishment.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson visited the southern border on Tuesday to observe and receive briefings from the Texas Department of Public Safety about issues impacting South Carolina. He was accompanied by Attorneys General Chris Carr from Georgia and Jason Miyares from Virginia during the trip to El Paso, Texas.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of William Robert Rattazzi, 73, of Charleston, S.C., on one charge connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Charleston Police Department, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, all also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Timothy Ray Taylor, 26, of Greenville, S.C., on six charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in seeking explanations from the nation’s top asset managers regarding their adherence to fiduciary duties. The coalition aims to determine if these managers are prioritizing environmental and social agendas over their clients' best interests.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is co-leading a 17-state coalition in a lawsuit against the Biden administration to prevent migrant farm workers from receiving union rights that domestic farm workers do not have. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia Brunswick Division has granted the states' motion for a preliminary injunction, halting the implementation of these rights while the lawsuit proceeds.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has issued a letter to the CEO of ActBlue, addressing allegations that the political fundraising group may have engaged in potentially fraudulent or illegal activities.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Ganson Eugene Gainer, 50, of Hartsville, S.C., on one charge connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Attorney General's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Hartsville Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Secret Service, all members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Matthew Turner Vereen, 28, of Columbia, S.C., on three charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Columbia Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, both also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Andrew Donald Kowal, 32, of Pelzer, S.C., on three charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a coalition of 24 states in requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case that would affirm states' rights to establish their own election rules, including the requirement for voters to provide proof of citizenship.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson co-led a brief filed Monday supporting North Carolina laws regulating the prescribing and dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs, such as mifepristone. A coalition of 18 states submitted the brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in response to a lawsuit brought by a doctor against North Carolina's regulations.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Grant Neth Herman, 56, of Taylors, S.C., and Brett Kenneth Willis, 27, of Easley, S.C., on 12 total charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office and Pickens County Sheriff's Office made the arrests in these unrelated cases. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with these investigations.
