Kevin Richard Vliet, a 55-year-old resident of Hardeeville, South Carolina, has been arrested on three charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was announced by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Investigators from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, part of the Attorney General’s Office, carried out the arrest with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.
The investigation began after a CyberTipline report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, Vliet was found in possession of files containing child sexual abuse material.
Vliet was taken into custody on November 13, 2025. He faces three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under South Carolina law (§16-15-410), each count carrying a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case. Attorney General Wilson stated, “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 instead of “child pornography” because it more accurately describes the nature of these crimes and avoids implying that children can consent to such acts. The use of CSAM is increasingly adopted worldwide for this reason.
