Sex offender from another state asked minor for sexually explicit photos, SC official says
A man from another state was in a Richland County courtroom Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to multiple sex crimes involving a child, the South Carolina Attorney General said.
Alberto Mercado Jr. pleaded guilty to charges of dissemination of obscene material to a person under the age of 12, criminal solicitation of a minor and first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, Attorney General Alan Wilson said Thursday in a news release. Mercado is a 40-year-old Chicago, Illinois, resident, Richland County court records show.
An investigation began May 11, 2018, when members of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call from a parent who had found texts on her child’s cell phone that were sexual in nature, according to the release.
The investigation revealed that the minor had met Mercado on a chat site and exchanged phone numbers, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office said. After learning that he was speaking to a 12-year-old minor, Mercado discussed in graphic detail sexual activities that he would like to do with the minor, according to the release.
He also sent the minor photos of his face, as well as sexually explicit photos and a video of himself, and he requested and received sexually explicit images of the minor victim, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office said.
Mercado was ultimately identified as a registered sex offender in Illinois, according to the release. He was arrested Jan. 21, 2021, court records show.
Mercado was sentenced to 8 years in prison on the sexual exploitation of a minor charge, and 233 days already served on both the criminal solicitation of a minor and dissemination of obscene material charges, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office said. Mercado will have to continue to register as a sex offender when his prison term ends, according to the release.
Jennifer Wells was listed as the prosecuting attorney, while Columbia lawyers John Mobley and Jamie Wilson represented Mercado, court records show.
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This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 9:21 AM.
