Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Charleston Co. man gets 10 years in prison for Sexual Exploitation of Minors

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announces that a Charleston County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. On September 6, 2024, Michael Bentz pleaded guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree in Charleston County before the Honorable Judge Jennifer McCoy.

On or about April 4, 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that a user of a messaging application had placed files of child sexual abuse material on its platform. Subscriber information for the user led investigators to Bentz’s home on Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County. The matter was then referred to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation. On February 2, 2022, Charleston County investigators executed a search warrant on Bentz’s home. While they were there, Bentz admitted to being responsible for the child sexual abuse material. An examination of his electronics located tens of thousands of additional files of child sexual abuse material.

Judge McCoy sentenced Bentz to 10 years in prison. He was given credit for the time he’s already served. He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release and forfeited his electronics.

Assistant Attorney General Stephan Ryan prosecuted the case for the state. Investigator Jason Bowen with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.