Rep. Nancy Mace Uncovers South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson Dismissed Over 92% Of Pedophile Cases In SC-01 County From 2019 To 2022

Charleston, S.C. Monday, October 6, 2025- Congresswoman Nancy Mace called for transparency from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson following revelations he dismissed over 92% of child pornography and child sexual exploitation cases in Dorchester County from 2019 to 2022.

According to official data obtained through a South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office (SCAG) disposed of 385 cases involving child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors in Dorchester County from January 1, 2019 to 2022. Of those:

• 356 cases were dismissed outright, representing 92.5% of all cases he "prosecuted."
• Only 29 cases resulted in convictions, a conviction rate of just 7.5%.
• Of those 29 convictions, only two defendants received any active prison time, with the rest receiving probation or time-served sentences.
• The average age of pending cases in Dorchester County is 740 days, more than two years, with 324 cases pending.

"This data is appalling and indefensible," said Congresswoman Mace."When almost every single child predator case is being dismissed and nearly every conviction results in a slap on the wrist, it is a betrayal of justice and an active threat to Lowcountry children."

The data, originally documented in the First Circuit Solicitor's 2022-2023 Dorchester County budget request, explicitly stated law enforcement agencies within the First Judicial Circuit have lost confidence in the Attorney General's Office due to its failure to prosecute child exploitation cases efficiently and its leniency in negotiating sentences.

First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe formally requested his office take over prosecution of these cases from the SCAG, citing both "failure by the SCAG to prosecute these cases efficiently" and a pattern of lenient plea bargains that undermine pedophile victims.

Mace added,"The Attorney General has a duty to protect the most vulnerable among us: our children. Instead, he's failing them, and local prosecutors are being forced to pick up the pieces."

Calls for State Oversight and Reform

Mace called on the South Carolina Legislature and oversight bodies to conduct an immediate review of how the SCAG has been managing these cases statewide.

"If this is happening in Dorchester County, where 92.5% of all pedophile cases prosecuted by the Attorney General are dismissed, how many other counties are seeing the same failures?" Mace asked."We need full reporting from the Attorney General's Office. Families deserve to know why so many child predators are walking free, not on any sex registry and free to continue to abuse children on the AG's watch."

Congresswoman Mace emphasized this is not a partisan issue but a moral one.

"Protecting children from sexual exploitation should never be political," she said. "The data speaks for itself and parents in South Carolina deserve answers."

Rep. Mace announced plans to send a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting an independent audit of the SCAG's handling of Internet Crimes Against Children prosecutions and coordination with local solicitors. Rep. Mace also plans to demand an investigation by the S.C. Inspector General's Office. And if the Attorney General doesn't provide statewide data immediately it's not out of the realm of possibility that he be forced to resign.

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