Feds indict three Myrtle Beach men, one other, for child sex trafficking charges
Three men from the Myrtle Beach area and one from Arizona have been federally indicted on 13 charges related to child sex trafficking.
The four men had roles in alleged child sex trafficking, production of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor, said acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart Thursday. The case involves activity spanning from Arizona to South Carolina, and victims from the Pee Dee and Midlands regions of South Carolina.
Early last year, federal officials began an investigation that involved a girl used in human trafficking and sexual encounters, according to federal court paperwork. The investigation involved another person who pushed the child into having sex with others and having the child send explicit images and videos.
One of the arrests stemmed from a video from PANDA, a Myrtle Beach group not affiliated with law enforcement that aims to curb sex trafficking through confrontation.
“Human trafficking and child exploitation are vile crimes, and this office will swiftly and aggressively prosecute those who prey upon minors,” said DeHart. “Our ability to address these cases hinges on the great work of our federal, state, and local partners. We also ask parents to be vigilant and to pay attention to your children’s online and social media activity. No demographic is immune from this type of crime, and no family with a computer or a phone is out of reach from these types of predators.”
What the indictment alleges
The indictment alleges that, since at least April 2020, Hart Grow and Theodore Bye conspired to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, maintain, patronize, and solicit a minor victim in South Carolina to engage in a commercial sex act.
Grow, from his home in Arizona and through the internet, misrepresented to various minors across the country that he was also a minor and was interested in a relationship. In this case, Grow allegedly claimed to a minor victim that he was a 17-year-old female named “Hannah” living in Columbia, South Carolina.
Using this false persona and promising love and affection, Grow, who investigators say is married, groomed the minor victim to fall in love with “Hannah.”
It was then, the indictment alleges, that Grow abused his position of trust with the minor victim to enter into a sexual dominant/submissive relationship, to hold absolute power and control over the victim, and to employ bondage/discipline, domination/submission, and sadism/masochism (“BDSM”) techniques.
He threatened the minor victim if they did not obey his BDSM rules, Grow required the victim to engage in often-violent sexual acts with adult men that the victim did not otherwise wish to engage with.
According to court records, Grow used message boards and social media to make the minor available to adult men for sexual encounters in exchange for the men sending videos of the sexual encounters to him. Grow required the men to produce, or assist in the production of, a visual depiction of the often-violent sexual acts. One of the men, according to the indictment, was Bye.
Both men knew the victim was a minor, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Bye, with the direction and logistical assistance of Grow, not only participated in the sexual acts with the victim but also made the victim available for sex on numerous occasions to other men as well.
According to the indictment, Bye would transport the victim to various locations in and around Myrtle Beach for commercial sex acts and would use internet message boards, social media, and text messages to make the victim available to other adult males for sexual encounters. The minor victim’s availability for the sexual encounters was predicated on the agreement with the adult males to produce and send visual depictions of the acts to Grow.
The indictment further alleges that Sanadin Elrayes and Charles Spillane responded to Bye’s internet postings and, after communicating with Bye via social media and text messages, engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the minor for the purpose of producing videos of the sex acts.
According to the indictment, the videos with Elrayes were created at a hotel in Surfside Beach, and with Spillane at his Myrtle Beach home.
The indictment also alleges that in early 2021, after Grow had trafficked the first minor victim, he began communicating with a second minor victim in South Carolina. According to Court records, Grow coerced the second minor into producing videos of sexually explicit conduct until shortly before his arrest in Arizona.
According to Court records, Grow and Bye used social media applications, including Snapchat, Wattpad, and Kik to communicate with the victims and with each other. Grow used screen names, including “hgliese” and “hanners,” and aliases, including “Terry” and “Hannah,” when allegedly communicating with his victims.
Who are the suspects
Grow, 25, of Surprise, Arizona, has been charged with conspiracy to sexually traffic a minor, sexual trafficking of minor, conspiracy to produce child pornography and to coerce and entice a minor, four counts of production of child pornography involving two victims, four counts of coercion and enticement of a minor involving two victims, and possession of child pornography.
Grow, was given a federal public defender, Michael Meetze, who will represent him in court.
Bye, 36, of Myrtle Beach, has been charged with conspiracy to sexually traffic a minor, sexual trafficking of minor, conspiracy to produce child pornography and to coerce and entice a minor, two counts of production of child pornography, two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography.
Bye retained Russell Long to represent him in the case.
Elrayes, 28, of Surfside Beach, and Spillane, 44, of Myrtle Beach, have both been charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography and to coerce and entice a minor. Elrayes is being represented in court by Angela Lane and Benjamin Hyman. Spillane is being represented in court by William Edgeworth.
Grow and Bye face a maximum penalty of life, and Elrayes and Spillane face a maximum penalty of five years. All defendants are currently detained.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Derek A. Shoemake and Amy Bower are prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
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If you or someone you know may have information relevant to this investigation, please call the HSI Tipline at 1-866-347-3423.
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 8:10 AM.
