South Carolina Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Anthony Ray Nielson, 48, of Sumter, on 14 charges connected to the exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Attorney General's Office made the arrest.
Investigators with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, also members of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation and arrest.
Investigators state Nielson distributed and possessed files of child pornography.
Nielson was arrested Wednesday and charged with four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment on each count; and 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment on each count.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.
Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
