Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Simpsonville man gets prison sentence for sexual exploitation of a minor

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson announces that on May 16, 2023, Anthony Irby pleaded guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd degree, before the Honorable Edward W. Miller in Greenville County.  

On June 2, 2020, The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the uploading of child sexual abuse material to an online account. Further investigation revealed that the physical address associated with the upload came back to a residence in Simpsonville, South Carolina, which is in Greenville County. The investigation also revealed that one of the possible residents of the home was Irby, who was known to law enforcement as a registered sex offender. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for this home, along with two other addresses associated with his sex offender registry. All search warrants were executed in Greenville County on July 22, 2020. Additional cybertips for Irby were forwarded from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after his initial arrest and he was subsequently charged in relation to these cybertips as well. During the execution of the search warrants, a number of digital and computer-related items were seized and later examined, revealing further evidence related to child sexual abuse material.

Judge Miller sentenced Irby to 10 years suspended to five years active time at the South Carolina Department of Corrections, to be followed by three years of probation. He received credit for 602 days time served, he forfeited his seized devices, and he will have to attend mental health counseling, sex offender counseling, and register as a Tier 2 sex offender when he is released from the Department of Corrections.