South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Marcus Phillip Jones, 37, from Goose Creek, South Carolina, on a charge related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Goose Creek Police Department. Investigators from the Attorney General’s Office, who are also members of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted in the investigation.
Authorities reported that they received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to Jones. According to investigators, Jones distributed files containing child sexual abuse material.
Jones was arrested on August 28, 2025. He faces one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree (ยง16-15-405), which is a felony offense and carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute this case.
Attorney General Wilson emphasized: “all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The press release clarifies that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is now used as a more accurate term than “child pornography,” since “pornography” can imply consent by participants. Globally, “child pornography” is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.
