Myrtle Beach therapist ‘coordinated’ schedules to abuse children, FBI docs say
A Myrtle Beach therapist has been charged federally with possession of child pornography after documents were allegedly found at his practice.
Robert McCarthy was arrested after FBI agents searched his practice following a tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children from a child pornography tipline in the Netherlands, according to federal court documents.
Following a detention hearing Monday, a judge ruled that McCarthy would remain in jail. The documents say that officers didn’t want McCarthy to contact other suspects in the case as a reason for his incarceration.
No one answered a phone call to McCarthy’s practice and a message left was not returned as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The server link provided had an IP address that was traced back to McCarthy’s practice, McCarthy Counseling Associates, 4603 Oleander Drive in Myrtle Beach.
A search warrant issued
The FBI conducted a search warrant on March 30, and found numerous child pornography files and photos saved in McCarthy’s files on his server associated with his practice, court documents say. The files date from July 2025 to March 30, according to the court documents.
Documents on McCarthy’s server also reveal McCarthy allegedly discussing sexual abuse of nonverbal patients, techniques to ensure compliance from patients and coordinating schedules to abuse children, according to his arrest warrant.
McCarthy’s bio on his practice’s website lists him as a licensed and board certified professional counselor with over 38 years experience. His work experience includes employment in both public and private settings, including county and state mental health programs, correctional facilities and educational institutions.
McCarthy also lists himself as a consulting staff member of Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach.
McCarthy has never been an employee of Grand Strand Medical Center, according to an email from Presley Leopard, director of communications and community engagement.
“We have no records that he ever cared for a patient at our hospital,” Leopard said.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach therapist ‘coordinated’ schedules to abuse children, FBI docs say."
