Rep. Nancy Mace Introduces Bill To Hold Soft-On-Crime Prosecutors Accountable For Protecting Predators
Alan Wilson Case Data Shows What Happens When Prosecutors Face No Oversight
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 8, 2026) – Today, Congresswoman Nancy Mace introduced the Preventing Prosecutors from Protecting Predators Act of 2026 to expose and penalize prosecutors who accept federal funding to protect women and children, yet refuse to prosecute violent predators.
Across the country, soft-on-crime prosecutors are routinely declining to charge rapists, child abusers, and sex traffickers, often without explanation, while hiding those decisions from public scrutiny. As a result, violent predators walk free, victims are denied justice, the public is endangered, and taxpayers have no way to know how federal funds are being used. This legislation ends this broken system by requiring full transparency from prosecutors who receive federal funding and by cutting off funding for offices who refuse to do their jobs.
In October 2025, Congresswoman Mace sent a formal Freedom of Information Act request to Alan Wilson seeking statewide data on child pornography and child sexual exploitation cases. This request followed shocking findings from a prior FOIA-obtained memorandum showing more than 92% of child sexual exploitation cases in Dorchester County between 2019 and 2022 were dismissed, with zero jury convictions.
“We’ve already seen the consequences of prosecutorial negligence,” said Rep. Mace. “In South Carolina, records obtained through FOIA show under Attorney General Alan Wilson, violent sexual predators are walking free and terrorizing our communities. In Dorchester County alone, 385 child sexual exploitation cases were reviewed between 2019 and 2022, where more than 92% were dismissed, only 7.5% resulted in conviction, and not a single case was decided by a jury. This is a systemic failure, and no one in charge was held accountable.”
The Preventing Prosecutors from Protecting Predators Act applies to prosecutors in jurisdictions with populations over 100,000 who receive federal grants from the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women. The bill requires prosecutors to submit detailed annual reports to the Attorney General on cases involving sex crimes, domestic abuse, and sex trafficking, including data on:
- Cases referred and charging decisions
- Criminal history of defendants
- Bail recommendations and outcomes
- Plea agreements
- Trial outcomes
- Sentencing recommendations and actual sentences imposed
Penalties for Non-Compliance include:
- A 25–50% reduction in federal grant funding for failure to submit required reports
- Corrective action plans or suspension of grant eligibility for up to two years for offices that decline to prosecute more than 50% of cases
All data will be made publicly available and submitted to Congress, ensuring full transparency for victims and taxpayers.
“As a survivor, this bill is personal,” Mace continued. “When serious crimes are covered up by soft-on-crime prosecutors behind closed doors, women and children are denied justice and predators are empowered. This is unacceptable.”
This legislation covers 19 categories of serious crimes, including rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, child pornography, and related offenses.
“Victims deserve justice. Families deserve safety. And taxpayers deserve accountability,” Mace said. “If prosecutors abandon victims and shield predators, they will be exposed. Do your job, or lose your funding.”
SEE BILL TEXT HERE:
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