{"id":2551,"date":"2026-07-02T19:09:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2551"},"modified":"2026-07-02T19:09:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:09:31","slug":"ex-charleston-magistrate-judge-pleads-guilty-to-child-sex-abuse-materials-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2551","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Charleston magistrate judge pleads guilty to child sex abuse materials charge"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A longtime Charleston County magistrate has pleaded guilty to federal child sexual abuse charges, a Thursday news release from the United States Department of Justice said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2550\">This well-known chicken chain has closed a Columbia area location. Here\u2019s where<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>James Benjamin Gosnell Jr., 69, pled guilty to charges of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material  July 2, the release said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>According to the release, Homeland Security investigators found thousands of CSAM videos on Gosnell\u2019s devices, as well as text messages dating back to 2023 showing Gosnell had communicated with a man named John Thorpe in Florida and traveled to distribute the files.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The release said Gosnell and Thorpe discussed their preferences for minors over text, primarily the violent sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Bryan Stirling, the U.S. attorney for  South Carolina, condemned Gosnell\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2548\">Masterful free kick helps US advance in World Cup after controversial red card<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGosnell, a public official and judicial officer, was a man entrusted with carrying out justice in the Charleston community yet was doing the exact opposite,\u201d Stirling said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Gosnell faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel after the judge reviews a sentencing report, the release said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He will be required to register as a sex offender for life, and is also facing a fine of up to $250,000, restitution and up to lifetime supervision, the release said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Orville and Emily Limehouse.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2546\">South Carolina rockets past the rest of the South in growth. What\u2019s driving it?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Benjamin Gosnell Jr., a longtime Charleston judge, pleaded guilty to federal child sexual abuse material charges and faces 8up to 40 years in prison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ex-Charleston magistrate judge pleads guilty to child sex abuse materials charge - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2551\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-Charleston magistrate judge pleads guilty to child sex abuse materials charge - 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