Email from Rep. Mace   🏛 From the Desk of Congresswoman Nancy Mace As your Representative in Washington, we are working every day to fight for our Lowcountry values. This newsletter is your inside look at what is happening in Washington and how our team is serving you right here at home. Whether it is securing our borders, standing up for our military, or protecting your freedoms, we have your back. Here is what we have been working on in Washington:   INTRODUCING: The No Violent Criminals in the Federal Workforce Act Your tax dollars shouldn't employ or enrich violent criminals. The federal civil service should represent the best of America, not violent offenders who refuse to follow the law. This bill: ✅ Bans violent offenders from federal jobs ✅ Ends federal contracts with violent offenders ✅ Terminates current employees with violent felony convictions Read more HERE. INTRODUCING: The No Convicts Running the Capital Act because violent criminals should not collect D.C. government paychecks or receive government contracts. This bill: ✅ Bans violent offenders from D.C. government positions ✅ Terminates current employees with violent convictions ✅ Ends D.C. contracts with violent criminals ✅ Prohibits violent offenders from working on government contracts Read more HERE. During a House Oversight Committee hearing this week on holding former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for ignoring a Congressional subpoena to appear in front of the House Oversight Committee, we delivered searing remarks condemning political hypocrisy, media silence, and a justice system which fails victims of sex trafficking, abuse, and violent crimes. We forcefully rejected efforts to selectively apply the phrase “no one is above the law,” noting we are the only member of the committee who has held both Republicans and Democrats in contempt for defying congressional subpoenas. But our remarks went far beyond Washington politics. Drawing directly from real cases in South Carolina, we detailed how predators are repeatedly released, prosecutions are declined, and victims, especially women and children, are left unprotected. “This is not political. This is personal,” Rep. Mace said. “We’re talking about children, girls as young as 14, being assaulted and trafficked by wealthy and powerful people. This should be nonpartisan.” Media Blackout Following Charleston Press Conference We also highlighted a media blackout following a press conference we held last week in Charleston with more than a dozen mothers whose children were put at risk by prosecutorial failures. Despite the gravity of the cases we mentioned, involving convicted pedophiles, repeat violent offenders, and victims who were later murdered, local media outlets failed to cover the event. After our press conference, we revealed, a young child came forward, recognized one of the offenders discussed, and filed a police report the same day after alleging he had followed them in a park the week prior. Watch our first remarks from the Oversight Committee hearing HERE. Accountability for Judges and Prosecutors In a second video clip from the hearing, we addressed our calls to impeach corrupt judges who repeatedly release repeat, dangerous offenders. We noted we publicly called for the impeachment of judges multiple times and have been threatened with contempt and jail time for speaking out, illustrating the kangaroo courts in South Carolina. “This is what happens when people speak out in South Carolina, they are told to be quiet, told not to talk,” Mace said. “And therefore, I will not back down. Will continue to speak up. And I yield to no man who seeks to silence the truth.” We also entered our Preventing Prosecutors from Protecting Predators Act of 2026 into the congressional record, underscoring our continued push to close legal loopholes and strengthen protections for women and children. Watch our second remarks from the Oversight Committee hearing HERE. Federal prosecutors are seeking a 21-month prison sentence for an individual who threatened to murder the Congresswoman and detonate explosives at our congressional office in a series of violent communications sent last year. The accused sent multiple threats via text message and email, explicitly stating an intent to blow up our office and kill the Congresswoman if she “stepped outside.” These threats prompted an immediate federal investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation quickly identified the suspect, executed a search warrant at the individual’s residence, and obtained a confession.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged the accused with two federal counts of threatening a federal official and is recommending a 21-month sentence. Sentencing is expected in the coming months, and our office will submit victim impact statements. “These threats were credible and violent,” said Rep. Mace. “No one should fear for their life for serving their country.” Threatening a federal official is a serious crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison under 18 U.S.C. § 115. See pictures of the threatening messages we received below: We released findings from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request exposing serious failures within the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, including widespread case dismissals, heavy reliance on plea deals, and a growing backlog of unresolved child sex crime cases. The data also shows multiple years in which the Attorney General’s Office did not take a single child sexual predator case to a jury trial. Records produced by the Attorney General’s own office reveal a significant number of child pornography and sexual exploitation cases were dismissed, while hundreds more have remained pending for years with almost no cases going to trial. “This data tells a disturbing story,” Rep. Mace said. “If you’re a pedophile in South Carolina while Alan Wilson is Attorney General, the odds are you’ll never face a jury, and victims may never see justice.” Documents from the Attorney General’s Office reveal systemic failures to prosecute child pornography and sexual exploitation cases, including widespread dismissals. In fiscal year 2024–25 alone, at least 32 cases were dismissed, and dozens more were dropped in prior years despite arrests, warrants, and forensic evidence. Virtually No Jury Trials: From fiscal years 2016–17 through 2024–25, jury trials ranged from zero to three per year statewide. In FY 2017–18, FY 2020-2021 and FY 2021–22, not a single child sex crime case went to trial before a jury anywhere in South Carolina. Meanwhile, 79–84% of cases were resolved through plea deals. This means the overwhelming majority of accused offenders never faced a jury, and the public never saw evidence tested in open court. Exploding Backlog of Unresolved Cases: The FOIA results show a steadily growing backlog, with pending cases increasing by 65%, rising from the high-400s to nearly 800 unresolved child sex crime cases statewide in recent years. Hundreds of cases remain open year after year, leaving victims without closure and children vulnerable. Trials Matched, or Fell Below, Defendant Deaths: FOIA records show from fiscal years 2016–17 through 2024–25, jury trials in South Carolina child sex crime cases ranged from zero to three statewide per year. During the same period, cases closed because the defendant died ranged from three to eight annually, meaning in multiple years, as many or more cases ended due to defendant deaths than ever reached a jury. This stark comparison underscores how rarely these cases are tested in open court, even as hundreds remain pending and victims wait years for justice. Reliance on Pleas Over Prison Time: FOIA records show plea deals overwhelmingly dominate child sex crime prosecutions in South Carolina. From fiscal years 2016–17 through 2024–25, 79% to 84% of all case dispositions each year were resolved through plea agreements, while jury trials ranged from zero to three statewide annually. In fiscal year 2024–25 alone, 226 cases were resolved by plea, compared to just three jury trials. The records further show hundreds of defendants pled down to watered down outcomes rather than facing a jury, limiting public scrutiny and keeping the most serious allegations from ever being tried in open court. What This Means for South Carolina 1. Child predators face a system which rarely holds them fully accountable. When jury trials average zero to three per year statewide and 79–84% of cases end in plea deals, and little to no jail time, the most serious allegations are almost never tried in court. This means fewer convictions, fewer sentences, and less public scrutiny and accountability for some of the worst crimes imaginable. 2. Victims are denied justice. With pending cases increasing by 65% over the past 9 years, many victims are left waiting years with no resolution. Delays, dismissals, and negotiated pleas mean victims are repeatedly retraumatized by a system which fails to deliver justice. 3. The backlog creates public-safety risk. Hundreds of unresolved child sex crime cases sitting open year after year strain law enforcement, clog the courts, and weaken deterrence. When cases stall, justice doesn’t just slow down, it effectively stops allowing criminals to reoffend. 4. South Carolina’s justice system loses credibility. In multiple years, as many or more cases ended because the defendant died than because a jury reached a verdict. This comparison alone signals a prosecution system which is not functioning as intended and erodes public trust in the rule of law. 5. This is a failure of leadership, not resources. The FOIA data shows arrests, warrants, and forensic exams are happening. What’s breaking down is the prosecution phase. This puts responsibility squarely on the Attorney General’s Office and Alan Wilson’s leadership choices and other solicitors who follow his lead. “Alan Wilson wants the public to believe he’s tough on crime,” Rep. Mace added. “But his own records show a system where child sexual predators cut plea deals, cases quietly get dismissed, years where there are 0 trials, and justice is denied indefinitely under his watch. It’s horrific for South Carolina children.” We filed a second FOIA request asking Attorney General Alan Wilson's office for records on prosecuting pedophiles and child predators. His response? They REFUSED and claimed fulfilling our request would "shut down the Office's Internet Crimes Against Children and Special Prosecution sections for months." Here's their exact quote: "Spending so much time on your request would cause hundreds of cases to be delayed and would effectively shut down the Office's Internet Crimes Against Children and Special Prosecution sections for months." There's just one problem: THEY'RE NOT DOING EITHER OF THOSE THINGS. They're already not prosecuting pedophiles or being transparent. So what exactly would be "shut down"? Then they THREATENED TO SUE US for asking questions. What are you so afraid of us finding, Alan? Release the Wilson Files. South Carolina's children deserve an Attorney General who protects them, not pedophiles. See the FOIA response from Attorney General Alan Wilson’s Office below: We condemned the arrest and same-day release of Travis Reed Gaye, who previously pleaded guilty to child sex offenses, calling the incident a "complete failure" of South Carolina's criminal justice system under Attorney General Alan Wilson and his abject failure to prosecute child sexual exploitation.  "If you’re a pedophile, you definitely want Alan Wilson to prosecute your case," said Rep. Mace. "Wilson needs to answer for what he's done to our children in South Carolina." Wilson’s office dropped six out of seven charges for Gaye for child sexual exploitation of a minor, which carried a combined potential sentence of up to 70 years in prison. Gaye previously pled guilty in November 2025 to a single count (instead of seven) for sexual exploitation of a minor and has since spent no time in jail. Despite the severity of his possession of child sexual abuse material and pleading guilty, Gaye received probation instead of facing time behind bars, with a suspended sentence of ten years if he violated probation. He violated probation just ten days later. Gaye, a registered sex offender was then arrested on December 16, 2025, by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (SCDPPPS) for multiple probation violations, and was released back onto the streets within hours. According to arrest warrants and court records, probation agents discovered Gaye in violation of multiple conditions. Despite these violations and despite Gaye’s plea agreement specified prison time upon violation, he was released from the Charleston County Detention Center the same day after a magistrate, without a law degree, set a $15,000 bond. "Those who abuse children should never be free to begin with,” Rep. Mace added. "What happened here is a betrayal of every parent, every victim, and every child in South Carolina. Alan Wilson is turning our state into a pedophile paradise." Unfortunately, child predators walking free in our streets has become the norm under Alan Wilson. Records obtained through Freedom of Information Acts from Alan Wilson’s office reveal a prosecutorial breakdown and years of failure: 32 CASES DISMISSED IN ONE YEAR: Attorney General Wilson's office dismissed at least 32 child sex crime cases in fiscal year 2024–25 alone, citing "insufficient evidence" or prosecutorial discretion, despite arrests, warrants, and forensic examinations already having occurred. Across multiple years, dozens of additional cases were similarly dismissed. ZERO TO THREE JURY TRIALS PER YEAR: From fiscal years 2016–17 through 2024–25, jury trials in child sex crime cases ranged from zero to three statewide annually. Some years saw ZERO jury trials across the entire state. The overwhelming majority of accused child predators never faced a jury, and the public never saw evidence tested in open court. 84% RESOLVED BY PLEA DEALS: Plea deals overwhelmingly dominate child sex crime prosecutions in South Carolina, with 79% to 84% of all cases each year resolved through plea agreements. In fiscal year 2024–25 alone, 226 cases were plea-bargained, meaning justice was negotiated behind closed doors rather than proven in court. NEARLY 800 CASES IN BACKLOG: The backlog has grown by 65%, rising from the high-400s to nearly 800 unresolved child sex crime cases statewide. Hundreds of cases remain open year after year while victims wait for justice and children remain vulnerable. We are calling on Alan Wilson to answer for his failures and provide full transparency regarding: Why was a child sex offender who pleaded guilty to having a video of an infant being sexually assaulted freed hours after violating probation? Why were 32 cases dismissed in fiscal year 2024-25 despite evidence, arrests, and forensic examinations? Why has Alan Wilson’s office abandoned jury trials in favor of hidden plea deals? Why nearly 800 child sex crime cases remain unresolved year over year? What immediate action will Alan Wilson take to protect South Carolina's children instead of protecting child predators? South Carolina parents and children deserve answers. We issued the following statement after Attorney General Alan Wilson released data showing three counties in South Carolina’s First Congressional District ranked among the highest in the state for human trafficking in 2025: "Let's be clear about Alan Wilson's record on human trafficking, which has skyrocketed 400% under his leadership as our state’s Chief Law Enforcement officer. Berkeley County ranked second statewide with 30 investigations. Charleston County ranked third with 30 investigations. Dorchester County ranked sixth with 21 investigations. While children are being trafficked and abused in the Lowcountry, the Attorney General’s Office has failed our state with case dismissals, an overwhelming reliance on plea deals, and a ballooning backlog of unresolved child sex crime cases. "As South Carolina’s Attorney General, Wilson chairs the state's Human Trafficking Task Force and has had the power to stop this for over a decade. What does he have to show for it? More victims. More pedophiles on the streets. Zero accountability for predators destroying innocent lives. "Where are the arrests? Where are the convictions? Our children don't need more task forces and press releases, our children need more prosecutions and more justice. Alan Wilson is a complete, abject failure.” We released the following statement regarding the federal government's sentencing recommendation for former South Carolina State Representative RJ May, who pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material: "RJ May admitted to distributing 220 child sexual abuse videos 479 times to over 100 offenders across 18 states and six countries. Federal prosecutors called him a 'hub' for child exploitation who 'showed no mercy toward the children he exploited.' He deserves no mercy in return. "May stood on the floor of our State House, voting to punish the very crimes he was perpetrating in the shadows. He looked constituents in the eye while facilitating the abuse of innocent children. This level of depravity and hypocrisy demands the absolute maximum penalty allowed by law. "Child predators like May forfeit their right to leniency. They forfeit their right to compassion. They forfeit their place in civilized society. South Carolina’s justice system has failed victims for far too long by treating these heinous crimes with unacceptable softness. Every child whose innocence was stolen by May, and predators like him, deserves more than our sympathy, they deserve a system which ensures their abusers never see freedom again. Anything less is a betrayal of justice itself.” Weekly Report from Congresswoman Nancy Mace CONSTITUENT SERVICES Our casework team is currently managing 562 active cases, assisting constituents as they navigate federal agencies including the IRS, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. To date, our office has helped return more than $37.7 million to constituents owed money by the federal government. MACE WIN In July, a constituent contacted our office regarding a delayed 2024 tax refund.Our casework team worked directly with the Taxpayer Advocate Service, resulting in the successful release of her $342,282.36 refund. IN THE DISTRICT This week, our team completed 16 events, meetings, and site visits across the Lowcountry, including meetings with the South Carolina Small Business Development Center, the Summerville Chamber Nonprofit Council, and the Charleston Chamber’s Vice President of Business Creation. We also attended the Charleston SCORE meeting and toured the City of Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Station 2. Additionally, our office participated in the Newport News Shipbuilding EDA Grant Strategy & Alignment meeting with the Charleston Chamber. FEDERAL FUNDING & LOCAL PROJECTS Our office is working with the Folly Beach Police Department to support them through the federal grant application process. We are also assisting the Charleston Chamber and Newport News Shipbuilding with a major EDA Disaster Supplemental Grant application, a transformational regional project focused on infrastructure, workforce development, and economic growth. South Carolina STRONG. We held a press conference with local moms to expose the disgusting misuse of South Carolina's justice system which allowed child predator Travis Reed Gaye to walk free when he should be serving 70 years behind bars. We showed his photo at the press conference. After our press conference, a minor child saw the image we displayed, and the child came forward to disclose Travis Gaye allegedly approached and followed the child on Pitt Street Bridge in Mt. Pleasant just the week before. The system is broken. It’s betraying our kids. Those responsible for this betrayal owe our children an answer. Our firefighters and first responders answer the call without hesitation, and we must do the same. This weekend, we attended a charity hockey game in Florence which raised critical funds for life-saving cancer screenings for Myrtle Beach firefighters. It is our duty to protect those who protect us every day. South Carolina STRONG. Dr. Al M. Panu, Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, visited our DC office and brought a thoughtful gift, a copy of Pat Conroy's The Death of Santini. Pat Conroy called Beaufort home, and his work continues to inspire and shape the Lowcountry. Thank you for stopping by, Dr. Panu! MEDIA BLACKOUT: Last week, we held a press conference with concerned parents, but every local station except one refused to cover it. The Attorney General clearly doesn’t want you to see it. Ask yourself why. Why is the local press protecting predators? Why are they shielding prosecutors who refuse to hold pedophiles accountable? We aren’t asking rhetorically, we want answers. Then this happened: A child saw a photo shared from the event and recognized a predator who allegedly followed them in the same neighborhood the week before. Within hours, a police report was filed. One press conference. One child protected. Why is local media burying this story? Why are they shielding the Attorney General? Imagine if the media did its job. Think of the number of prosecutors, judges, and magistrates we could hold accountable, and the number of children we could protect. Just imagine. See WCBD News 2’s coverage HERE. We held another press conference addressing the individual who threatened detonate explosives at our congressional office. See our coverage below: The Post and Courier Live 5 News WCBD News 2 ABC News 4 covered the two bills we recently introduced. The No Violent Criminals in the Federal Workforce Act bars anyone convicted of a violent crime from holding a federal civil service position or working on federal contracts. Similarly, the No Convicts Running the Capital Act extends this prohibition to D.C. government employment and contracts. Check out the article HERE. We spoke with Fox News about developments in Minnesota, why we stand behind law enforcement, who risk their lives daily to keep us safe, and our leadership of a critical hearing this week on digital crimes against children. See the full interview HERE. We spoke with Howie Kurtz on his Fox News podcast about the work we have done and continue to do in Congress, as well as our commitment to keeping South Carolina strong. See the full interview HERE. Internship Openings in Charleston and Beaufort: Looking for an internship in the Lowcountry?We're hiring interns for our Charleston and Beaufort offices. Apply here: mace.house.gov/services/internships 💬 Need help with a federal agency? Contact our district office: 📞 (843) 352-7572 |📍900 Island Park Drive, Suite 260, Daniel Island, SC 29492 Constituent Spotlight: Natalie Osterman This week’s constituent spotlight is on Natalie Osterman, CEO of the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. Natalie was named the 2025 Chamber Executive of the Year for the state of South Carolina, a well-deserved recognition of her leadership and dedication. Thank you, Natalie, for your hard work in making our district an even better place to live and work! Stay up-to-date: Website: mace.house.gov Twitter: @RepNancyMace Facebook: facebook.com/RepNancyMace Instagram: @RepNancyMace Youtube: @RepNancyMace Yours in Service, Rep. Nancy Mace Member of Congress Rep. Mace | 1728 Longworth House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice