Cayce man guilty of possessing more than 1 million child pornography files

A Cayce man pleaded guilty Thursday of uploading 900 files of child pornography to the internet during a 12-year period and possessing more than 1 million sexually explicit files of children on computer equipment seized from his home.

Edward Neiger, 66, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of 2nd degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and five counts of 3rd Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, said South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Investigators received Cybertip reports of these files being uploaded to the website Imgur from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Evidence from North Carolina and Delaware showed that Neiger posted links to child pornography on Internet chat rooms, and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office also found evidence that he sent a file of child pornography via a file sharing network.

Neiger admitted to the crimes as a search warrant was being executed at his home on July 25, 2015, Wilson said.

Forensic examiners found 1,619,742 sexually images of children and 11,404 sexually explicit videos of children. Several search terms related to child pornography were found on the computer, along with evidence the he had been sharing these files for a 12-year period and had sent child pornography files thousands of times through file sharing.

Neiger was booked into the state’s prison Kirkland Correctional Institution in Richland County until he’s assigned to a permanent location. Neiger he will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Cayce man guilty of possessing more than 1 million child pornography files."