News Summary

Rio Dirk Hahealani Galiza, a 34-year-old man from Bluffton, SC, has been arrested again on multiple felony charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. His latest arrest on April 7, 2025, occurred while he was already out on bond for similar charges from October 2024. The new charges include first, second, and third-degree sexual exploitation of minors, arising from an investigation prompted by a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Bluffton Man Arrested Again on Multiple Felony Charges of Sexual Exploitation of Minors

Bluffton, SC – Rio Dirk Hahealani Galiza, 34, has been arrested for a second time on multiple felony charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors.

Galiza’s recent arrest occurred on April 7, 2025, while he was out on bond from a prior arrest in October 2024. He initially faced four felony charges from that incident.

Details of New Charges:

• One count of sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
• One count of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Galiza is accused of manufacturing, distributing, and possessing files pertaining to child sexual abuse material. This investigation was spurred by a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The arrest was executed by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in coordination with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Following his first arrest, Galiza allegedly encouraged a minor to produce child sexual abuse material, in addition to sending sexually explicit images to the minor.

It is currently unclear if the new charges are related to the previous allegations against him.

After his April 7 arrest, Galiza was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center and released on bond later that same day.

All pending charges are set to be prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General. Notably, Galiza was not listed on the South Carolina sex offender registry at the time of his latest arrest.

This case is part of an ongoing initiative by the South Carolina Attorney General regarding Internet Crimes Against Children, which is aimed at addressing and mitigating online predatory behaviors.

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Additional Resources

• WTOC
• Wikipedia: Child Sexual Exploitation
• Island Packet
• Google Search: Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness
• Live 5 News
• Google Scholar: Child Sexual Exploitation
• Post and Courier
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Child Sexual Abuse
• Bluffton Today
• Google News: Bluffton Man Arrested Sexual Exploitation Minors

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