Wadmalaw Island man convicted of sexual exploitation of minors

CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – A Charleston County man has learned how long he will spend in prison after a jury convicted him of possessing tens of thousands of files containing child sexual abuse material.

Michael Allen Bentz, 35, pleaded guilty last week to third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, said Robert Kittle, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office.

Judge McCoy sentenced Bentz to 10 years in prison, with credit for time already served.

In April 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that a user of a messaging platform had uploaded child sexual abuse files to the platform.

Information from the subscriber led investigators to Bentz’s home on Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County.

Charleston County Sheriff’s Office officers searched his home on February 2, 2022. During the search, Bentz admitted to being responsible for the child sexual abuse material. Officers also found tens of thousands of other files on the subject, Kittle said.

The term “child pornography” is used by prosecutors in place of child pornography, due to concerns that “pornography” could imply that the child was a consenting participant.

Kittle said Bentz had forfeited his electronics and would have to register as a sex offender upon his release.

Deputy Attorney General Stephan Ryan prosecuted the case on behalf of the state, and Investigator Jason Bowen of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.