SC man gets decades in prison for sex crimes against a baby boy, prosecutors say
An Anderson man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for making and distributing child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Carolina.
U.S. District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced David Lynn Wells, 32, to 360 months imprisonment, to be followed by lifetime supervision, after an investigation — that stemmed from the United Kingdom — revealed he created a video where he was sexually abusing a baby boy, according to a news release.
The conviction follows the arrest of a man suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material by British authorities. Upon reviewing the man’s electronic devices, they found a recording of a 2020 video call in which an adult male was sexually abusing a baby boy, the release said.
The name “David Wells” was visible on the screen, prompting investigators to identify the man. A prior mugshot from Anderson County confirmed Wells’ identity and led British authorities to contact the Department of Homeland Security, according to the release.
Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations located the victim’s mother and discovered that she and Wells use to live in the same apartment complex, where Wells would babysit her minor child while she ran errands, the release said.
Upon reviewing “sanitized images of the video,” the mother identified Wells, the child and Wells’ apartment, according to the release.
“The depraved conduct in this case is truly unfathomable,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina said in the release. “My office will remain dedicated to prosecuting and punishing those who harm children and create vile material to be distributed across the internet.”
The 30-year sentence is stacked on an eight-year sentence Wells is currently serving in the South Carolina Department of Corrections for sexual battery involving two other children.
“This action sends a powerful message: those who exploit children will face the full force of the law,” Mark M. Zito Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North Carolina and South Carolina said in the release.
