Tens of thousands of files containing child abuse material found on Charleston County man’s electronic devices: SCAG

CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCBD) – Tens of thousands of files containing child abuse material have been found on the electronic devices of a Charleston County man, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Michael Bentz, 35, was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for sexual exploitation of minors after pleading guilty in a Charleston County courtroom.

This follows an April 2021 report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which stated that a messaging app user posted child sexual abuse files on the platform.

Subscription information for that user led investigators to Bentz’s home on Wadmalaw Island.

In February 2022, Charleston County detectives searched his home, where he admitted to being responsible for the material, officials said.

According to the attorney general’s office, an examination of his electronics turned up tens of thousands of additional files containing child abuse material.

Judge Jennifer McCoy sentenced Bentz to 10 years in prison. He was given credit for time already served and will have to register as a sex offender upon his release. He also forfeited his electronics.