A Newberry man has been arrested on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors, according to an announcement from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Matthew Eric Lynch, 38, was taken into custody by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office, also part of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted in the investigation.
The investigation began after a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led authorities to Lynch. Investigators allege that Lynch possessed files containing child sexual abuse material.
Lynch was arrested on January 13, 2026. He faces three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree under state 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.”
According to information provided by the Attorney General’s Office, child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is now used as a more accurate term for these crimes because “pornography” can imply consent on behalf of minors. The global shift from “child pornography” to CSAM reflects this change.
