A former Charleston judicial officer has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to the U.S. Department of Justice, after investigators uncovered thousands of files during a cyber exploitation investigation.
James Benjamin Gosnell Jr., 69, of Charleston, admitted to the charges after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at his home and seized multiple electronic devices and storage drives containing illegal material, federal officials said.
The investigation reportedly began in the summer of 2025 after HSI received a CyberTip from PayPal that identified payments from accounts linked to Gosnell to a known child sexual abuse material vendor.
Based on that information, investigators obtained a federal search warrant and searched Gosnell’s residence on Sept. 16, 2025.
According to court filings and federal prosecutors, Gosnell confessed during the search to possessing child sexual abuse material and voluntarily handed agents a flash drive he admitted contained hundreds of videos. Authorities later seized more than a dozen additional electronic devices and flash drives from the residence.
A forensic examination allegedly revealed thousands of CSAM files.
Investigators said the case expanded further after uncovering communications dating back to December 2023 between Gosnell and a Florida man identified as John Thorpe. Authorities allege the two communicated through text messages and encrypted applications, discussing sexual interests involving minors.
Federal investigators say Gosnell later traveled to Florida during the summer of 2024, where he allegedly shared child sexual abuse material through a flash drive that was later returned to him through a shipping service.
Federal officials highlighted Gosnell’s former position within the justice system as particularly troubling.
“Gosnell, a public official and judicial officer, was a man entrusted with carrying out justice in the Charleston community yet was doing exactly the opposite,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling said in a statement.
HSI officials said the agency intends to continue pursuing cases involving child exploitation regardless of a suspect’s social standing or profession.
“The evil actions uncovered in this case represent the worst form of criminal behavior — targeting the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Carolinas.
Gosnell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and could receive up to 40 years behind bars. He also faces fines of up to $250,000, restitution, and potentially lifetime supervised release following imprisonment.
Federal authorities said he will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel accepted the guilty plea. Sentencing will take place after the completion and review of a report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative created to combat online child exploitation and abuse through coordinated federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts.
