Lexington laundry delivery man gets 40 years in international child sex case

A Lexington County man who connected with young Brazilian children online and then traveled to that country to molest them in person was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison Thursday by a federal judge.

The sentence ensures that Stephen Green, 55, will be in his 90s before he gets out of prison, if he lives that long. Greene worked as a delivery man for a laundry service, prosecutors said.

Just to make sure Greene is never around children again, U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon ordered that Greene — should he complete his 40-year sentence — be placed under a 15-year supervised release program with numerous monitoring conditions restricting his access to the internet and to children.

During the hearing, assistant U.S. Attorney Elle Klein presented the evidence in the case, evidence that showed that Greene was driven by an unquenchable desire to watch videos of adults having different kinds of sex with children, a desire that escalated into travel to Brazil where he could have “hands on” sexual experiences with two young children, ages three and seven.

Greene pleaded guilty to three crimes in the case last year — engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, production of child pornography and enticement of a minor.

For those offenses, he deserves a 40-year sentence, Klein said.

“It is difficult to articulate the depravity of the defendant’s conduct in this case,” Klein told Lydon. “It is hard to imagine a more serious crime.”

Greene’s attorney, assistant federal public defender Suha Najjar, had argued for a 20-year sentence.

Greene first came across his two female victims when he saw photos of them on Instagram, an online encounter that “quickly escalated” into trips to Brazil where he got access to the girls through a relative whom he paid “tens of thousands of dollars,” Klein told Lydon.

Greene had the girls’ room wired for video so he could have “24/7 access” to them when he returned home to Lexington County, Klein said. He wanted to bring at least one of the victims to the U.S., Klein said.

The case began when a social media company notified Brazilian law enforcement that there may be an offender in Brazil. After investigating, Brazilian law enforcement then reached out to the FBI, which then began investigating Greene, federal prosecutors said. FBI and Brazilian authorities jointly investigated the case, prosecutors said.

The victims’ caregiver in Brazil has been given a 95-year prison sentence, they said.

Greene made a statement to judge, saying that “without question” he accepted responsibility for what he did. He said his acts “horrified” him, but he could not help himself.

Speaking in a soft voice, the short — about 5-2 — balding man in a red jail jump suit, Greene said, “There is nothing I can say or do that would atone for my conduct.”

Evidence against Greene included numerous photos and videos on his cell phone.

Lydon told Greene at the end of the hourlong hearing at the Columbia federal courthouse. “My faith is always grounded in hope for redemption ... That is my hope for you,”

But Lydon also cited the vulnerability of child victims, saying, “It doesn’t get more serious than this.”

Lydon paid tribute to the lead FBI investigator on the case, Special Agent Jackie Hamelryck, who the judge said reflected “the very best in law enforcement.” It is unusual for judges to single out agents for praise.

Hamelryck, who this week is wrapping up a 27-year FBI career, is something of a legend in South Carolina law enforcement, federal prosecutors said in a press conference after the hearing.

“She has led some of our most consequential cases for decades,” federal prosecutor Elliott Daniels told reporters. “Often the FBI calls on her for the most difficult cases involving the most vulnerable in our state. She has delivered time and time again.”

In 2018, Hamelryck was among officers receiving an annual Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement. Among her achievements were her work involving the aftermath of the 2015 shootings at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, initiating terrorism training at the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy and being instrumental in numerous cases involving predators and vulnerable victims.

At the press conference, Klein said the case illustrates that parents must take great care in overseeing their children’s online activities.

“It underscores the importance for parents and guardians and people in children’s lives to monitor children’s social media and internet usage,” Klein said. “We’re having cases come through our doors every single day of people exploiting children online.”

Daniels said, “The message is social media is a dangerous place for children. We thank the parents who stay involved in their lives.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 1:52 PM.