COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – A former sports journalist from the Midlands has been sentenced for sexual exploitation of a minor after a 2024 investigation led to the discovery of child sexual abuse material involving an underage girl.
According to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Matt Vereen, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of Third Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Vereen will also have to register as a sex offender and give up his cell phone and computer, that was seized during the investigation. The other charges, which were two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree, were dismissed in exchange for his plea.
According to Vereen’s LinkedIn page, he was a sports anchor and reporter for WACH FOX 57, and was placed on suspension shortly after his arrest
Vereen was arrested in August of 2024 after arrest warrants stated that child sexual abuse material involving an underage girl was found on his Apple laptop during a search warrant that month.
Another search warrant said Vereen solicited the purchase of a one-minute and 32-second video of an underage girl. A third warrant stated that he solicited another video, which was one minute and 26 seconds long.
Vereen was identified through Gmail records, Apple records, ISP records, and another record that was redacted, according to an arrest warrant.
Vereen was booked into the South Carolina Department of Corrections in mid-September, where he will serve his sentence.
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