South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Sean Benjamin Cushman, 29, from Graniteville, S.C., on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office investigators, part of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, made the arrest. The investigation also involved the Attorney General’s Office and the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon.
The investigation began with a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led investigators to Cushman. According to investigators, Cushman possessed files containing child sexual abuse material.
Cushman’s arrest took place on July 15, 2025. He faces five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor (§16-15-410). Each count is a felony offense that could result in up to 10 years imprisonment.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute this case. Attorney General Wilson emphasized that “all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The term Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) is used as it more accurately reflects the nature of these crimes compared to “pornography,” which may suggest consent by those involved. CSAM is becoming the preferred term globally for this reason.
