Palmetto State News

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of John Joseph Varn, 32, of Greenville, S.C., on five charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation. Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to Varn. Investigators state Varn possessed files of child sexual abuse material. Varn was arrested on March 26, 2024. He is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count. 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" instead of "child pornography" as it more accurately reflects the nature of these crimes. According to Wilson, "'Pornography' can imply the child was a consenting participant." Wilson emphasized that globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.