Attorney General Alan Wilson announces York Co. man already on probation sentenced to prison for having child sexual abuse material

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that a man already out on probation for possessing child sexual abuse material has been sentenced to prison for possessing thousands more files of the material.

On October 23, 2024, Lawrence Tafoya pleaded guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 3^rd degree, in York County before the Honorable Daniel D. Hall.

On March 15, 2024, Investigator Alex Clark with the York County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in reference to a cell phone that was seized by their department that contained child sexual abuse material. The agent said the phone belonged to Lawrence Tafoya, who was currently on probation for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 3^rd degree. A forensics examiner with SCPPP examined the phone on scene and located files of child sexual abuse material. Tafoya was arrested on April 11, 2024, for images on the phone, and subsequently confessed to having additional images on other items in his home. A search warrant was done on his residence in York County and several items were seized. A forensic examination of the items revealed files of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone and thousands more files on his laptop.

Judge Hall sentenced Tafoya to six years in prison, with credit for 196 days already served. He will have to continue to register as a sex offender and was ordered to forfeit devices containing illegal material.