Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that on July 10, 2024, a Lexington County jury found Michael Scott Valdario guilty on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the first degree and two counts in the second degree. Judge Walton McLeod sentenced Valdario to two years for each second-degree charge, to be served concurrently, and four years for each first-degree charge, to be served consecutively, totaling ten years of incarceration.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a coalition of 26 states in filing a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the Hillsborough County Transit Authority’s no-religious-speech advertising policy. The coalition contends that this policy infringes on the First Amendment rights of Young Israel of Tampa, a Jewish synagogue, which sought to advertise on public transportation in Tampa, Florida.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has filed an emergency application with the United States Supreme Court to halt the SAVE student loan repayment plan. "The Supreme Court already ruled in another case that the Biden administration doesn’t have the authority to waive hundreds of billions of student loan repayments," said Attorney General Wilson. "But President Biden is trying to go around that and do it anyway. This is classic grandstanding by the President of the United States. It would mean all taxpayers will be saddled with paying off billions of dollars of these...
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Nathaniel Scott Raasch, 26, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., on six charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Mount Pleasant Police Department made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Charleston County Sheriff's Office, all members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Javon Sequa Marshall, 27, of Taylors, S.C., on two 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 announced the arrest of Christa Porter Bennett, 51, of Easley, S.C., on charges related to the exploitation of a vulnerable adult and breach of trust with fraudulent intent. Bennett was taken into custody at the Greenville County Detention Center on June 28, 2024.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s plan to forgive certain college student loans. The court issued a preliminary injunction on Monday afternoon in a lawsuit filed by South Carolina, Alaska, and Texas.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Durrelle Tyshaun Taylor, 39, of Little River, S.C., on 10 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Mount Pleasant Police 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 Joshua Matthew Thomas, 18, of Greenville, 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 announced the arrest of Adam Taylor Cossette, 31, on five charges connected to the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office made the arrest.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Heather Leigh Smith, a 44-year-old nurse from Mount Pleasant, on charges related to drug theft and exploitation of vulnerable adults. The arrest was made by the office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) in collaboration with the Bureau of Drug Control at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Phyllis J. Daniels, a 36-year-old resident of Barnwell, S.C., on charges related to the exploitation of a vulnerable adult and financial transaction card fraud. The arrest was carried out by the Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Trey Cameron Leonard, 22, of Sugar Hill, GA, on two charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office made the arrest.
Attorney General Alan Wilson today announced efforts to raise public awareness of crimes against vulnerable adults, including a name change for the unit that investigates and prosecutes these crimes. The announcement coincides with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15.
In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, Attorney General Alan Wilson is raising awareness about the increasing prevalence of mobile app scams and their impact on older investors in South Carolina. Mobile apps have become a common tool for investors, providing an inexpensive alternative to consulting with an investment professional. However, this convenience can come with risks. Scammers have infiltrated the mobile app marketplace, offering unregistered securities and advertising investment opportunities as risk-free, low-risk, or guaranteed.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Edward Todd Baines, 48, of Catawba, S.C., on 10 charges related to the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Mount Pleasant Police Department conducted the arrest. Investigators from the York County Sheriff's Office, Chester County Sheriff's Office, and U.S. Secret Service, all members of the state's ICAC task force, assisted in the investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Justice Miller Janssen, 33, of Goose Creek, S.C., on three charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was made by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Goose Creek Police Department, with assistance from the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force.
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Larry Ray Vickery, Jr., 52, of Anderson, S.C., on seven 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 Anderson County Sheriff's Office, Anderson Police Department, S.C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon, and the U.S. Secret Service, all members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a 19-state coalition led by Alabama in requesting the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional the efforts of California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island to influence American energy policy. These states have initiated litigation against major energy companies over an alleged "climate crisis," seeking billions of dollars in damages. The coalition argues that these lawsuits threaten to impose severe penalties and coercive measures affecting energy production and consumption nationwide.
