HANAHAN, S.C. – A former Hanahan city leader charged in a federal child exploitation case will remain behind bars after waiving his right to a detention hearing, according to court officials.
Kevin Phillip Hedgpeth, 48, a former Hanahan mayor pro tem and city council member, appeared Monday in U.S. Magistrate Court in Charleston, where he chose not to contest his detention. He will remain in federal custody pending trial.
Hedgpeth was arrested last week on federal warrants and is charged with possession and production of child sexual abuse material, according to court documents.
Authorities say the case stems from an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which identified Hedgpeth as a participant in an online forum allegedly used to facilitate the sale of illegal material involving minors.
Investigators allege Hedgpeth used payment platforms, including Cash App and PayPal, to send money to dozens of accounts tied to minors or suspected sellers of illicit content between December 2021 and the present. Some of those accounts were linked to minors in the Charleston area, according to the charging document.
Federal authorities further allege that explicit images and videos involving minors were stored across multiple devices and accounts associated with Hedgpeth, including an iCloud account, his cellphone, and his home internet network. Prosecutors say he used online communication tools to contact minors, direct them to create explicit content, and exchange money for those materials.
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According to investigators, at least one victim was 12 years old when communication with Hedgpeth allegedly began. Authorities also claim he at times posed as a minor and, in other instances, shared explicit material with minors in an effort to encourage further production.
If convicted, Hedgpeth faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and up to 30 years, along with lifetime supervision and sex offender registration requirements.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child exploitation and identify victims.
Investigators are asking anyone with information that could help identify additional victims to contact HSI by phone at 866-347-2423 or submit tips online through the agency’s reporting system.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dean H. Secor and Elliott B. Daniels.
Officials emphasized that the charges are allegations, and Hedgpeth is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
