SC Judge Arrested for Child Abuse Material in Federal Investigation

A South Carolina magistrate judge, James B. Gosnell Jr., 68, has been arrested on charges related to possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the United States Department of Justice. The arrest followed an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security, which received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding financial transactions with a distributor in the United Kingdom. Chief Justice John Kittredge officially suspended Gosnell on Tuesday following the arrest.

Investigators traced payments to an online distributor of illegal material to accounts linked to Gosnell's personal information, including his phone number, address, and email. Federal authorities executed a search warrant at Gosnell's residence in November 2024 and took him into custody after completing their search. According to court documents, investigators discovered a flash drive containing numerous videos and images depicting minors, including infants and toddlers, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

In the suspension order, Chief Justice Kittredge stated that Gosnell's continued service as a magistrate would pose "a substantial threat of serious harm to the public and the administration of justice." The suspension was based on credible information provided to the court regarding the federal charges. Gosnell was scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Wednesday morning, according to his attorney, Lionel Loften.

Gosnell previously gained public attention as the judge who presided over the bond hearing for Dylann Roof, who was later convicted in the 2015 shooting deaths of nine parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston. The current case is being handled by federal authorities, with the Department of Justice overseeing the prosecution. The investigation appears to be part of broader efforts by federal agencies to combat international distribution of illegal content.