Attorney General Alan Wilson announces maximum sentence for Greenville County man guilty of distributing child sexual abuse material

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announces that, on January 16, 2025, Russel Stokes, 56, pleaded guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree in Greenville County before the Honorable Jessica Savini.  

The investigation of Stokes began in March of 2024 when an investigator with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office was conducting a proactive investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. A user had made available files of child sexual abuse material that the investigator was able to download. Subscriber information of the user led investigators to Stokes’s Greenville County home. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant and seized Stokes’s electronic equipment, locating thousands of additional files of child sexual abuse material. At the time of his arrest, Stokes was out on bond for similar child sexual abuse material charges.

Judge Savini sentenced Stokes to the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, with credit for the 171 days he has already served. He will have to register as a sex offender upon release.  

Assistant Attorney General Stephen Ryan prosecuted the case.