Lancaster County Man Arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Material* Charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - March 19, 2021 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Damion Scerenio Anthony, 29, of Heath Springs, S.C., on 20 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office made the arrest. Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.

Investigators received a CyberTipline report that led them to Anthony. Investigators state Anthony distributed and possessed files of child sexual abuse material.  

Anthony was arrested on March 18, 2021. He is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count; and 10 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.

* Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes. "Pornography" can imply the child was a consenting participant.  Globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.