South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Aaron Mateo Pobjecky, a 19-year-old resident of Greenville, South Carolina. The arrest is related to three charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was made by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Attorney General's Office, which is also part of the state's ICAC Task Force.
The investigation began after a CyberTipline report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This report led investigators to Pobjecky, who is alleged to have possessed files containing child sexual abuse material.
Pobjecky was taken into custody on October 30, 2024. He faces three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree (§16-15-410), each count being a felony offense that carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison.
The Attorney General's Office will handle the prosecution of this case. Attorney General Wilson emphasized that "all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law."
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is used as a term because it more accurately reflects the nature of these crimes. The term "pornography" can misleadingly suggest consent by those depicted. Globally, there is a shift towards using CSAM instead.