Former SC Lawmaker Pleads Guilty in Federal Child Pornography Case

A former South Carolina state lawmaker has pleaded guilty to five federal counts of distributing child sexual abuse material. Just days before his scheduled trial, the ex-lawmaker admitted in court to using aliases to share hundreds of explicit files through the messaging app Kik. Investigators say the content was traced back to his home internet and personal devices. The plea agreement includes a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender and up to 100 years in prison, depending on sentencing decisions.

Federal prosecutors say there were 62 known victims in the case. The sentencing hearing is set for January 14th.