Attorney General Alan Wilson announces prison sentence for Illinois man for sex charges against 12-year-old in SC

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Alberto Mercado, Jr. pleaded guilty to Dissemination of Obscene Material to a Person under the Age of 12, Criminal Solicitation of a Minor, and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, First Degree, Tuesday in Richland County, before the Honorable Daniel Coble.  

On May 11, 2018, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in Richland County in response to a call from a concerned citizen who had found texts on her child’s cell phone that were sexual in nature. The investigation revealed that the minor had met a man named Alberto Mercado on a chat site and exchanged phone numbers. After learning that he was speaking to a 12-year-old minor, Mercado discussed in graphic detail sexual activities that he would like to do with the minor. He also sent the minor photos of his face, as well as sexually explicit photos and a video of himself, and he requested and received sexually explicit images of the minor victim. Mercado was ultimately identified as a registered sex offender out of the state of Illinois.

Judge Coble sentenced Mercado to eight years in prison on the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor charge, and 233 days already served on the Criminal Solicitation of a Minor and the Dissemination of Obscene Material charges. He will have to continue to register as a sex offender upon release.