Midlands man gets decades in prison for child sex crimes, Attorney General says
A Midlands man was sentenced to more than two decades in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes against children, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Oakley Snipes was sentenced to 27 years in prison by Judge Courtney Clyburn Pope after pleading guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a news release.
The sentence follows a cybertip investigators received that uncovered hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, including recordings tied to an assault prosecutors say occurred in Aiken County.
The investigation began in November 2023, when a social media company contacted investigations, alleging that Snipes had uploaded three files of child sexual abuse material, the release said.
After obtaining a search warrant for the account associated with the illegal material, investigators found personal photos and documents along with conversations in which Snipes discussed child sexual abuse material and sexual assault with other users. In those conversations, Snipes indicated he had additional images and claimed he had engaged in sexual activity with minors in the past, the release said.
Authorities then linked the IP address associated with the uploads to Snipes’ home in Aiken County and conducted a search warrant on his home on Feb. 23, 2024, according to the release.
While investigators did not locate child sexual abuse material at the residence, Snipes admitted he had viewed the material and told officers he had an additional cell phone at his place of business in Richmond County, Georgia, prosecutors said.
Georgia law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for the device and a forensic examination uncovered a folder labeled with a girl’s name containing multiple videos. In total, investigators found 283 videos and images of confirmed child sexual abuse material, as well as 16 videos and images depicting the abuse of the girl named in the folder, according to the release.
Further investigation determined the assault occurred in Aiken County, the release said.
In addition to his 27-year sentence, Snipes must register as a sex offender and will be subject to lifetime GPS monitoring upon release.
