Palmetto State News

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Joshua Louis Cunningham, 20, of West Columbia, S.C., on two charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department made the arrest. Cunningham engaged in criminal sexual conduct with a minor and manufactured files of child sexual abuse material.

Cunningham was arrested on March 21, 2024. He is charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor (§16-3-655(B)(2)); and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree (§16-15-395), a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment. This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law. He also highlighted the importance of using the term child sexual abuse material (CSAM) instead of child pornography to accurately reflect the nature of these crimes and avoid implying any form of consent from the victims.

The global shift towards using CSAM instead of child pornography is aimed at acknowledging the severe abuse and exploitation involved in such cases. Cunningham's arrest underscores the seriousness with which authorities are addressing crimes related to the sexual exploitation of minors.