South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of two Midlands men, Ibrahim Jamal Kanouni, 24, of West Columbia, and Michael Elijah Deion Tobe, 21, of Columbia. Both face charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor.
The arrests were made by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Lexington County Sheriff’s Office in separate cases. The Richland County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in these investigations.
Authorities began their investigation after receiving CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, Kanouni is accused of distributing and possessing files containing child sexual abuse material. Tobe is accused of distributing such material.
Kanouni was arrested on December 11, 2025. He faces one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree—a felony punishable by up to ten years imprisonment—and two counts in the third degree, each also carrying up to ten years imprisonment.
Tobe was arrested on December 18, 2025. He is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree; each count carries a potential sentence of up to ten years imprisonment.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute both cases. “Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The office led by Alan Wilson acts as South Carolina’s chief prosecutor and legal counsel, handling criminal matters across the state according to its official website. The Attorney General collaborates with law enforcement agencies on criminal prosecutions and provides victim support services statewide as described online.
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is now used as a term instead of “child pornography” because it more accurately reflects the nature of these crimes and avoids implying consent by minors.
