District of South Carolina

FLORENCE, S.C. — Marquand Jerome Newell, 41, of Mullins, was sentenced to more than 9 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Evidence presented to the Court showed that, on September 28, 2022, Deputies with Dillon County Sheriff’s Office went to a home in Dillon, South Carolina to serve an Order of Protection.  When they arrived at the home, they discovered Newell sitting in a vehicle in the driveway.  Deputies made contact with Newell to determine if he was the individual they were looking for.  Upon approach to the vehicle, Deputies detected the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle.  Newell admitted he had marijuana and handed Deputies a cooler containing a large bag of suspected marijuana.  Newell also indicated there was something in the glove compartment of the vehicle that law enforcement should recover. 

In a search of the vehicle, Deputies found 33 grams of methamphetamine, 56 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of crack cocaine, and 27 grams of fentanyl.  In the glove compartment of the car was a loaded .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun.  Deputies found approximately $1,800 in cash on Newell.

United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Newell to 117 months imprisonment, 57 months on the drug charge with 60 months consecutive on the firearm charge, to be followed by a 5-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by Dillon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 15-count indictment against Christine Mary Livingston, 46, of Gaston, and Jerell Reaves, 33, for bribery, conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering.

During the alleged crimes, Livingston was a correctional officer and supervisor at the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), where she worked as a law enforcement officer from 2005 through 2021. Reaves is an inmate serving a sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

The indictment alleges that during her work at the Broad River Correctional Institute, Livingston accepted more than $200,000 in bribes from inmates and their families in exchange for smuggling contraband into the prison. She is alleged to have brought approximately 173 contraband cell phones into the facility, as well as headphones, sim cards, chargers, and other contraband. Livingston held the rank of Captain at SCDC from 2016 through 2021. 

One of those inmates was Jerell Reaves. Reaves is alleged to have caused more than $40,000 in bribes to be paid to Livingston in exchange for contraband.

Both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, $250,000 in monetary penalties, and forfeiture.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the SCDC Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels is prosecuting the case. 

U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The indictment may be found on the public docket at case number 3:24-cr-252-CRI.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. —Lawrence Joseph Florentine, 56, of Rock Hill, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for interstate domestic violence resulting in the death of his wife, Nicole Zahnd Florentine, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, obstruction of justice and use of fire to commit interstate domestic violence. 

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed beginning in December 2019, police in York County responded to multiple 911 calls by Nicole during which she reported that Florentine physically abused her and threatened to kill her, burn her, and bury her. Florentine was arrested twice on domestic violence charges. On May 23, 2020, the couple’s Rock Hill home was destroyed by fire. During the fire, Florentine sent angry text messages and photographs that show he intentionally set the property on fire to destroy Nicole’s belongings. Arson charges are pending in state court. 

On June 13, 2020, a groundskeeper for Hill Cemetery in Fredonia, Kentucky, discovered what appeared to him to be a makeshift grave. Officers with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office and the Kentucky State Police recovered a partially charred female body from the grave.  A gas can was found near the grave.  An autopsy determined that Nicole’s death was a homicide, and the cause of death was a .22 caliber bullet wound to the head.

Nicole and Florentine were traveling by car together in North and South Carolina in the days leading up to the discovery of her body in Kentucky. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a car matching the description of Florentine’s car around the cemetery before the body was discovered on June 13, 2020. A local hardware store clerk described Florentine as the man who came into the store on June 11, 2020, and after he complained about the $21.99 price, he purchased a gas can and a shovel. Security camera footage from a nearby gas station showed Florentine as he casually filled the gas can a short time later. Florentine’s sentence included a 10-year consecutive sentence because he used fire during the commission of interstate domestic violence. 

Florentine fled Kentucky and arrived in Denver, Colorado on June 23, 2020, where he was arrested. During travel, Florentine discarded and concealed evidence, including the firearm he used to murder Nicole, cell phones, identification, and other personal belongings. During sentencing, prosecutors asked Judge Coggins to impose a higher sentence considering everything Florentine did to obstruct justice, including his deliberate efforts to hide Nicole’s death by hiding her body, frustrating law enforcement’s ability to identify her, and their ability to locate and arrest him. Judge Coggins noted that in addition to killing her, Florentine deliberately prevented Nicole’s family from learning of her death and that he deprived them the opportunity to properly mourn her.

“Nicole’s senseless murder reminds us that domestic violence can happen to anyone and we all must work to protect and support those experiencing abuse,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We hope this sentence brings some measure of closure to her loved ones as they remember Nicole.”

In 2022, two years after his arrest, Florentine moved to dismiss the murder charge and argued that Kentucky did not have jurisdiction to prosecute him because the crime was committed in South Carolina. Prosecutors in Caldwell County Kentucky and homicide investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office asked federal authorities to prosecute the case. Domestic violence is primarily a matter of state and local jurisdiction; however, federal laws provide tools for prosecuting domestic violence offenders in certain situations involving firearms and interstate travel or activity.

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Florentine to 360 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Florentine was also ordered to pay $5,800 in restitution.

The case was investigated by the Kentucky State Police, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, York County Sheriff’s Office, Rock Hill Police Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leesa Washington and Benjamin N. Garner are prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. —Tiree Keshawn Waymer, 29, of Orangeburg, was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being in possession of stolen firearms.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on March 2, 2022, Waymer led deputies from multiple agencies on a high-speed chase across state lines while in possession of six stolen firearms. Deputies with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department observed a vehicle matching the description of a reported stolen vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle.  The driver, later identified as Tiree Waymer, immediately refused to stop. The pursuit continued into South Carolina, when deputies with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office and the York County Sheriff’s Office took lead.

During the chase, Waymer drove at speeds nearing 100 mph, forced pedestrian and commercial vehicles off the road, drove in the wrong direction, and placed the lives of innocent bystanders and law enforcement in danger. When deputies stopped Waymer’s vehicle, he ran from the car but was later apprehended.

Law enforcement searched the stolen vehicle and recovered six stolen firearms. Further investigation revealed that on Feb. 25, 2022, the Blythewood Gun and Gold Exchange Pawn Shop was burglarized, and 13 guns were stolen. Law enforcement determined that the six guns in Waymer’s possession were stolen from the pawn shop five days earlier. After his arrest, law enforcement recovered another firearm stolen from the pawn shop from his residence.

Waymer is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to prior felony convictions, including criminal conspiracy, burglary 2nd degree (violent), a possession of stolen firearm, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson sentenced Tiree Keshawn Waymer to 92 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, the York County Sheriff’s Office, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. —Jonathan Neely, 34, of Ft. Lawn, was sentenced to 46 months of incarceration after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on March 3, 2023, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, United States Probation Office, and the United States Marshals’ Service (USMS) obtained an arrest warrant for Neely, for violation of his federal supervised release and a state search warrant for his residence, located in Ft. Lawn. Neely was on federal supervised release based upon convictions for knowingly possessing an unregistered firearm, knowingly possessing an unregistered firearm silencer, knowingly possessing of an unregistered firearm silencer without a serial number and possessing a firearm by an unlawful drug user.  These convictions happened in federal court in Asheville, North Carolina in 2018.   

A search of the residence resulted in the seizure of multiple rounds of ammunition, a pistol and a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine. Neely was not home during the search. Law enforcement then went to another residence in Ft. Lawn where one of Neely’s family members lived. Investigators noted a white colored trailer on the property. The police spoke to the family member who stated that the trailer belonged to Neely, that he had dropped it off on the property, and that only Neely had access to it.  The family member stated that they did not have keys to the trailer or knew what was inside of it.  The police obtained a search warrant for the trailer. A search of the trailer was then executed.  In the trailer, the police found a large amount of ammunition and six firearms.

On March 14, 2023, the USMS located Neely and placed him under arrest. Following his arrest, Neely acknowledged that he owned the firearms found in the trailer.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Neely to 46 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by United States Probation Office, United States Marshals’ Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. —DeQavion Keyon DaJohn DeShae Cook, 31, of Rock Hill, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that agents learned that between 2015 and 2023, Cook was responsible for selling drugs that were obtained from Darryl Hemphill. Agents learned the drugs obtained from Hemphill included crystal methamphetamine and pills that resembled 30 mg Oxycodone tablets, also known in the generic form as Roxicodone. The pills were produced by Hemphill and/or others with fentanyl at various locations in the Rock Hill and Charlotte region. As Hemphill was the leader of this organization, he was supplying the drugs to Cook who was incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections at that time.

The agents used multiple investigative techniques to determine the quantity of drugs provided to Cook while he was incarcerated in SCDC. Cook used his brother to obtain the pills and methamphetamine from Hemphill in Rock Hill and take the drugs to a correctional officer who would conceal the drugs and take them to Cook inside of the prison.  

Cook faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $5,000,000 and four years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Cook after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Cook’s sentence on this offense will begin after he completes his current federal sentence for another federal violation.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Rock Hill Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. —Lontre Jason Wise, 51, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute both crack cocaine and marijuana.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that the Columbia Police Department Organized Crime and Narcotics Unit received an anonymous complaint in reference to the sale of illegal narcotics at a residence located on House Street.  The complainant stated there was constant foot and vehicle traffic at the residence, which people were only observed being at the residence for minutes at a time. Based on the information provided from the complainant, a confidential informant was sent to the residence on two different occasions to purchase marijuana.  During both occasions, the confidential informant purchased the marijuana from Wise. Based on the complaint and controlled purchases, a search warrant was obtained for the residence.

Columbia Police Department officers executed the search warrant for the residence. During the search, the police located Wise and four others within the residence. Wise was immediately taken into custody on arrest warrants for the distribution of marijuana. Wise was searched and the police found a clear container containing crack cocaine on him.

During the search of the residence, a black book bag was located on the couch. The book bag was searched and contained a large clear plastic bag of marijuana. The police also found a 9mm handgun and a .38 caliber revolver in the book bag. 

The police also located a safe underneath the couch with a black pouch inside of it.  The pouch contained pieces of crack cocaine, Wise’s South Carolina driver’s license, social security card, debit card, and $3,430 in cash. Wise told the officers that the safe was his. There were multiple hand-rolled cigars containing marijuana found throughout the living room of the residence and a plate on the couch in the living room that also contained marijuana.

Wise faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $1,000,000 and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Wise after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department’s Organized Crime and Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. —Darrell Troy Capers, 33, of Charleston, was sentenced to 1o years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, as well as possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on March 18, 2022, Charleston Police Department officers executed a search warrant at the home of Capers. In the home, officers discovered a blue backpack containing fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Officers also discovered a stolen firearm in the backpack. The backpack contained a debit card bearing Capers’ name, a pill bottle bearing Capers’ name, and two movie tickets. CPD officers obtained video footage of Capers at the movie theater and at the time indicated on the tickets. Other evidence obtained from the backpack included a whisk, sandwich bags, and a digital scale, consistent with narcotics trafficking.

United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Capers to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Charleston Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Holmes is prosecuting the case.

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FLORENCE, S.C. —John Henry Stack, 76, of Myrtle Beach, was convicted of bank robbery following a two-day jury trial in federal court. Stack was on supervised release from previous federal bank robbery convictions.

Evidence presented by the Government at trial established that just before 1 p.m. on March 10, 2023, Stack entered the Anderson Brothers Bank in Aynor, placed a pillowcase on the teller’s counter, and pulled from his pocket a long-handled lighter.  Stack concealed the lighter under his hand to look like a gun, pointed it at the teller, and demanded money. When the teller complied, placing $2,130 in cash in the pillowcase, Stack took the pillowcase of money and left the bank.  Just before entering the bank, Stack changed clothes, placing a blue medical scrub shirt over his black jacket. He also wore a winter hat, sunglasses, and a medical-style mask during the robbery.

In the hours following the robbery, local, state, and federal law enforcement worked together to identify and apprehend the robber.  Law enforcement identified the vehicle the robber drove to and from the robbery as a Ford Focus with significant passenger side damage.  About 10 p.m. on March 10, an officer with Myrtle Beach Police Department stopped the Focus.  Stack was driving the car, and officers found a parking hang tag for a nearby hotel hanging from the car’s rearview mirror.  Records at the hotel showed Stack had rented a room that afternoon and paid in cash. 

Law enforcement searched the Focus and the hotel room and found clothing consistent with that worn by Stack during the robbery, including a blue medical scrub shirt, pillowcases like the one Stack placed on the teller’s counter, a bag that contained Stack’s medications and $765 in cash, and a red long-handled lighter.

Following the stop on the Ford, Stack confessed to law enforcement that he robbed the bank. He detailed for them how he robbed the bank, what he wore while robbing the bank, and explained that he concealed the lighter under his hand to make it look like a gun and “fake out” the teller, so that she would hand over the money. 

Stack previously served time in federal prison for multiple bank robberies in South Carolina and North Carolina. He was released in 2022. 

More than 90 exhibits were entered into evidence during the trial, and 10 witnesses testified. The jury convicted Stack of bank robbery. 

“When given the opportunity to return to society, this defendant went back to the dangerous crimes that put him in prison in the first place.” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We will continue to pursue those that pose a threat to our community.”

“Violent crime erodes the safety of our citizens and security of our society,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This guilty verdict is truly the culmination of the diligent investigative efforts by local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We remain committed to working tirelessly to prevent and address crime and upholding the rule of law.”

“This was truly a team effort,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. “Law enforcement coordination and cooperation on all levels is vital to solving crimes and holding offenders accountable.”

Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie presided over the trial and will sentence Stack after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.  Judge Currie will also sentence Stack for violating his supervised release. Stack faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, and a fine of $250,000 on the 2023 bank robbery. Stack faces additional time in prison for violating his supervised release. 

The case was investigated by Aynor Police Department, Myrtle Beach Police Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Richard Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh, 55, of Hampton, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for 22 federal financial crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; bank fraud; wire fraud; and money laundering. 

Murdaugh was a personal injury attorney at a law firm in Hampton, South Carolina. He pleaded guilty to 22 federal crimes in September 2023, admitting to engaging in three different schemes to obtain money and property from his personal injury clients.

In one scheme, Murdaugh admitted that from in or around July 2011 until at least October 2021, Murdaugh conspired with his banker, Russell Laffitte, to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Murdaugh asked Laffitte to serve as personal representative or conservator for numerous personal injury clients. Laffitte collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees as personal representative or conservator for Murdaugh’s personal injury clients. 

As part of the scheme, Murdaugh directed law firm employees to make settlement checks payable to “Palmetto State Bank.” The checks were drawn on Murdaugh’s law firm’s trust account and identified the personal injury clients on the memo lines. Murdaugh then had the checks delivered to Laffitte, who distributed the checks for Murdaugh’s benefit, including to pay off personal loans and for personal expenses and cash withdrawals. Murdaugh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of wire fraud associated with this scheme. 

In November 2022, Laffitte was convicted on six federal charges for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and misapplication of bank funds for his role in this scheme. In August 2023, Laffitte was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

In a second scheme, from at least September 2005 until at least September 2021, Murdaugh obtained money from his clients and his law firm by means of false pretenses. As part of the scheme, he routed and redirected clients’ settlement funds to personally enrich himself, including by:

• Drafting, or directing law firm employees to draft, disbursement sheets to send settlement funds to Murdaugh’s bank accounts without proper disclosure or client or law firm approval;
• Claiming funds held in the law firm’s trust account as attorney’s fees and directing the disbursement of those funds for his benefit;
• Claiming and collecting attorney’s fees on fake or nonexistent annuities;
• Creating fraudulent “expenses” that were never incurred on client matters and directing the disbursement of settlement funds to pay the cited costs, including claimed medical expenses, construction expenses, and airline expenses;
• Directing other attorneys with whom he was associated on client matters to disburse attorney’s fees directly to him, rather than appropriately routing the fees through the law firm; and
• Intercepting insurance proceeds intended for beneficiaries and depositing them directly into his personal account.

Murdaugh admitted that in September 2015, he created a bank account in the name of “Forge,” presenting as a legitimate corporation for structuring insurance settlements. Murdaugh was the owner of and the only authorized signer on this “fake Forge” account. From in or around May 2017 through at least July 2021, Murdaugh funneled stolen personal injury settlements through the “fake Forge” account. Murdaugh pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and 14 counts of money laundering relating to the theft of client money using the “fake Forge” account.

Finally, Murdaugh admitted that, from in or around February 2018 until at least October 2020, Murdaugh conspired with Beaufort personal injury attorney Cory Fleming to defraud the estate of Murdaugh’s former housekeeper and Murdaugh’s homeowner’s insurance carriers. In February 2018, Murdaugh’s housekeeper passed away after a fall at Murdaugh’s home. Murdaugh recommended that the housekeeper’s estate hire Fleming to represent them and file a claim against Murdaugh to collect from his homeowner’s insurance policies. 

Murdaugh’s insurance companies settled the estate’s claim for $505,000 and $3,800,000. Murdaugh admitted that he directed Fleming to retain hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement funds for their own personal benefit, representing those funds as “prosecution expenses” to the state court.  Murdaugh and Fleming knew the funds did not belong to them and that there were no legitimate prosecution expenses. Murdaugh and Fleming reduced Fleming’s attorney’s fees, and Murdaugh knew he would steal the additional funds. 

Murdaugh directed Fleming to draft three checks totaling $3,483,431.95 made payable to “Forge.” Murdaugh then deposited the checks into his “fake Forge” account and used the funds for his own personal enrichment. The estate did not receive any of the settlement funds. Murdaugh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in this scheme.

Fleming pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for his role in this scheme. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.

“Murdaugh’s victims turned to him when they were particularly vulnerable, after suffering serious injuries and losing loved ones,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “They put their trust in him as their lawyer, and he betrayed them. His crimes were cold, calculated, and brazen, and he earned every day of his 40-year sentence. We hope that it provides at least some closure to his victims.”

"Justice was served today and a sentence of this magnitude should caution anyone who engages in financial crimes," said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. "The defendant's actions undermine the integrity of our financial systems and cause distrust. Our message is clear: We will hold those who commit financial fraud accountable, and they will be met with severe consequences."

“Law enforcement working together at every level is vital to solving crimes and holding offenders accountable,” said Chief Mark Keel of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. “I’ve always said from day one of this case, and every case SLED investigates, is about following the facts no matter where they may lead. Today is another step forward for justice in South Carolina.”

United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel imposed the sentence:

• 360 months for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; bank fraud; and two counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, all to run concurrently.
• 240 months for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud, to run concurrently to each other and to the 360-month sentences.
• 120 months for 14 counts of money laundering, to run concurrently to each other and consecutive to the 360- and 240-month sentences.

Murdaugh’s 480-month federal sentence will be served concurrently with his active state sentences for the murders of his wife and son and the state financial offenses to which Murdaugh previously pleaded guilty.

The court also ordered Murdaugh to pay $8,762,731.88 in restitution to his victims and imposed a $10,034,377.95 forfeiture order for Murdaugh’s ill-gotten gains.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Limehouse, Kathleen Stoughton, and Winston Holliday are prosecuting the case. 

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — David Elliott Paulsen, 62, of Columbia, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials.*

Evidence presented to the court showed that in May 2023, Paulsen entered a residential reentry center to complete the remaining period of his incarceration from a 2014 conviction of possession of child sex abuse materials. Shortly thereafter, on July 13, 2023, Paulsen was found to be in possession of a contraband phone that contained over 1,200 images and at least one video of child sex abuse materials involving prepubescent girls and the sexual abuse of toddlers.

Paulsen has three prior federal convictions for possession of child sex abuse materials as well as one prior conviction for failure to register as a sex offender.

United States District Court Judge Joseph Anderson sentenced Paulsen to 168 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle E. Klein is prosecuting the case.

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* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Richard Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh, 55, of Hampton, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on 22 charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; bank fraud; wire fraud; and money laundering. Murdaugh pleaded guilty in September 2023. Read the previous release here.

United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel will impose the sentence.

WHEN:        Monday, April 1, 2024, at 10 a.m.

WHERE:      United States District Courthouse

                       The hearing will be held in Courtroom 3 and Courtroom 1 will serve as overflow space

                       83 Meeting Street

                       Charleston, South Carolina

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NOTE:  United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs along with Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office and SLED Chief Mark Keel, will be available outside the courthouse following the hearing. The hearing could last approximately three hours. No cameras or cell phones are allowed in the federal courthouse.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Shannon Layne Myers, 51, of Lancaster, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a wide range of federal gun and drug charges, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, four counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine or heroin, three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Myers was helping to lead a drug distribution operation in Lancaster and Kershaw counties, which was being directed by Daniel Shannon, an inmate serving a life sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. After coming to believe that one of his drug couriers had been robbed, Shannon sent his associates to retaliate, and a Kershaw man was shot and killed in September of 2019. Daniel Shannon then sent Shannon Myers to help clean up the murder scene, and Myers discarded the victim’s body alongside a highway in Westville.

In November of 2019, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants at Myers’ home in Lancaster, where they found over 700 grams of methamphetamine, smaller quantities of heroin and other drugs, cash, scales, drug ledgers, and several loaded firearms. Myers was arrested but released on bond in the spring of 2020. He and his associates quickly went back to dealing drugs, and he was even captured on video waiving a gun in front of drug customers, while weighing methamphetamine and counting money. Investigators searching his home in June 2020 once again found drugs, scales, and a loaded gun.

“These defendants operated without regard for life or the law,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Illegal drug trafficking rings like this jeopardize the health and safety of our community.”  

“This lengthy sentence highlights the severity of Myers’ actions and their impact on the community,” said Kyle Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte, which covers North and South Carolina. “HSI is committed to holding those accountable who recklessly distribute their poison into our communities.”

“Inmates with illegal contraband cellphones are the biggest threat to public safety in America, and this is another tragic example,” said Bryan Stirling, Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. “We need a permanent solution to remove this menace from society and make our communities safer.”

Myers pleaded guilty to all charges the day before he was scheduled for trial in October of 2023. The leader of the conspiracy, Daniel Shannon, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in federal prison in June of 2023. 

United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Myers to 360 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, South Carolina Department of Corrections-Office of Inspector General, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schoen, Everett McMillan, and Ben Garner prosecuted the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal grand jury has returned a three-count indictment against Angel Cooper Vause, 56, of Georgetown, for making false statements to federal investigators.

According to the indictment, in May 2022, Vause is alleged to have lied to investigators with the FBI during the investigation into the 2009 disappearance and murder of Brittanee Drexel. Vause was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned today in Charleston at 1 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Molly H. Cherry.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Winston Holliday and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two men from the Midlands and a California man and woman were sentenced after pleading guilty in federal court to their roles in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and a related firearms crime. 

• Andre Alexander Boulware, 46, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine.
• Victor Guzman, 30, of Long Beach, California, was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
• Alice Hortencia Velazquez, 30, of Long Beach, California, was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine.
• Jessie James York, 44, of Lexington, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine.

Evidence presented to the court showed that from 2018 to 2021, Guzman served as a California-based source of supply for extremely pure “ice” methamphetamine, which was shipped to Columbia, South Carolina. Over the course of the conspiracy, Guzman was responsible for trafficking more than eight kilograms of “ice” methamphetamine to the Columbia area. Velazquez was a California-based facilitator/distributor for Guzman. Boulware received methamphetamine from Guzman and Velazquez and distributed drugs to others, including York.

On Oct. 29, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Long Beach, California home of Guzman and Velazquez. Inside the property and cars parked at the home, law enforcement found approximately two and a half kilograms of “ice” methamphetamine, two 9mm firearms and ammunition. Guzman later admitted he had the firearms because of the dangers involved in drug dealing.

In August 2020, law enforcement in Columbia intercepted two boxes sent to Boulware. Each box contained approximately half a kilogram of “ice” methamphetamine. Further investigation revealed that Velazquez, working for and on behalf of Guzman, had helped Boulware obtain that methamphetamine, and that the methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy had been ongoing since at least 2018.

“Illegal narcotics pose a serious danger and public health risk,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “As these sentences bring an end to Guzman’s operation, we will continue to prosecute drug traffickers who poison our community.

“Driven by greed, these drug traffickers’ activities posed a significant threat from South Carolina to California,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The success of this investigation is proof that those destroying our communities with methamphetamine will be brought to justice.”

“These investigations speak volumes of the success we have in apprehending those that put poison in our communities,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. “Multiple agencies working together can defeat the drug trafficking organizations.”

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced all four individuals. Andre Alexander Boulware was sentenced to 135 months imprisonment. Victor Guzman was sentenced to 220 months imprisonment, 160 months on the methamphetamine conspiracy, and 60 months consecutive on the firearm count. Guzman’s 220-month sentence in this case will run concurrent to a 60-month custodial sentence imposed on Guzman by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for his role in an unrelated fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. Alice Hortencia Velazquez was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment. Jessie James York was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.  Boulware, Guzman and York’s terms of imprisonment will all be followed by five-year terms of court-ordered supervision. Velazquez’s term of imprisonment will be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn prosecuted the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jasper Orlando Sumpter, 36, of Gadsden, was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on the evening of Sept. 16, 2020, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) were dispatched to a residential neighborhood off Shop Road in Columbia, in reference to a shooting. While enroute, a deputy observed a Dodge Challenger, driven by Sumpter, parked in the roadway. The deputy attempted to approach the vehicle to conduct a welfare check when Sumpter sped off and led law enforcement on a high-speed chase down Shop Road. During the pursuit, the driver drove at speeds more than 90 MPH before crashing in a ditch and attempting to run from the vehicle.

Sumpter was subsequently arrested, and deputies determined the vehicle was stolen out of Virginia. During the search of the vehicle law enforcement located a .40 caliber pistol on the passenger floorboard and a 9mm pistol on the ground near the driver’s side door. Sumpter was the sole occupant of the vehicle. 

While Sumpter was in custody, other RCSD deputies responded to the scene of the shooting and collected a mixture of 9mm and .40 caliber shell casings found directly in front of the residence and submitted them for NIBIN testing. The testing revealed the shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting were linked to both firearms in Sumpter’s possession. Surveillance footage from the neighborhood, showed Sumpter leaving the scene of the shooting at a high rate of speed around the time the initial calls were made in reference to the shooting.

Sumpter is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior felony convictions. Sumpter has prior convictions for unlawful carrying of a pistol, criminal domestic violence, simple assault and battery, driving under suspension, two convictions for being a habitual traffic offender, and obtaining prescription drugs by fraud.

United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Sumpter to 50 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana N. Gore is prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs, together with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, announced that more than a dozen individuals were charged in federal court in connection with narcotics, firearms, and conspiracy offenses after a targeted violent crime reduction initiative in Walterboro and the surrounding areas. The indictments are a result of a series of coordinated arrests made following a targeted multi-agency investigation that spanned several months.

During the investigation, the FBI assisted local and state law enforcement agencies in an advanced, intelligence-based, multi-faceted law enforcement operation. The purpose of the operation was to target criminal entities, specifically those engaged in the illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, as well as the unlawful possession and use of firearms. Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials concentrated resources and personnel in these areas to curb the narcotics trafficking and its related violence.

The joint investigation has led to 14 defendants facing federal charges. Agents seized multiple firearms, ammunition, and various dangerous drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.

The following charges have been filed in United States District Court, according to court documents:

• Trevor Courtney Fishburne, Jr., 34 of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of MDMA. Fishburne is currently serving a sentence for armed robbery, assault and battery with intent to kill and weapons offense in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. 

• Zaquann Ernest Hampton, 30, of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of cocaine, 500 grams or more of cocaine base, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, a quantity of heroin and a quantity of MDMA.  Additionally, Hampton is charged with multiple counts of distribution of methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl; two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and one count of possession of firearms by a prohibited person.  

• Jaziah Samone Dresha Lewis, 27, of St. George, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Additionally, Lewis was charged with one count of possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and a separate additional count of possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. 

• Jamie Brown, 50, of Yemassee, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, a quantity of cocaine base and a quantity of fentanyl. Additionally, Brown is charged with possessing with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine, cocaine base and fentanyl, possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.  

• Stephanie Hawkins, 37, of Summerville, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 4o grams or more of fentanyl.  Additionally, Hawkins was charged with one count of possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

• Oshalum Grant, 27, of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of cocaine. Additionally, Grant was charged with one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.

• Matthew Rashaun Jones, 30, of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and quantities of cocaine, cocaine base, MDMA and fentanyl. Additionally, Jones was charged with possessing with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine, cocaine base and fentanyl; possession of firearms by a prohibited person; and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

• Brianna Alnisa Lawrence, 28, of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of cocaine.  Additionally, Lawrence was charged with distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and transfer of ammunition to a prohibited person.

• Rashawn Lymel Brown, 29, of Summerville, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of cocaine.  Additionally, Brown was charged with two counts of distribution of cocaine; two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; one count of possessing with intent to distribute marijuana; and one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle.  

 

• Brittaney Smith, 28, of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

• James Joseph Young, III, 30, of Summerville, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Additionally, Young was charged with three counts of distribution of cocaine.  

• Wanda Catrece Fishburne, 50, of Yemassee, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base.  Additionally, Fishburne was charged with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine; possession of a firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.  

• Jaden Tyrone Smith, 23, of Walterboro, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.  

• Richard Vernon Deas, 25, of Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.  Deas is currently serving a sentence for murder in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. 

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Secret Service, State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Florence County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Summerville Police Department and South Carolina Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Carra Henderson and Nick Bianchi are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Joshua Nathaniel Strader, 41, of Charleston, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Strader was released from federal prison for a firearm and controlled substances violation in November 2019. Five months later, on April 25, 2020, officers with the North Charleston Police Department attempted to stop Strader’s vehicle based on a stolen vehicle investigation. Strader led police on a dangerous and high-speed chase through residential areas, crashed into a civilian vehicle, and ultimately lost control and ended up in a ditch. Strader ran from the vehicle, but officers quickly caught and arrested him. Officers searched Strader and found a .9mm pistol, 76.9 grams of crack cocaine, and 13 grams of powder cocaine in his pockets. Strader was on federal supervision at the time of this arrest. Strader has multiple felony convictions on his record prohibiting him from possessing a firearm. This was his second conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon.

United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Strader to 71 months imprisonment to be followed by four years of court ordered supervision for the April 2020 incident, and 36 months imprisonment for the federal supervised release violation.  These sentences will run consecutively resulting in a total of 107 months imprisonment.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the North Charleston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Andrew Chmiel, 48, of Mt. Pleasant, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison yesterday for his role in a nearly $100 million scheme related to the payment of kickbacks and bribes in exchange for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) orders.  

Chmiel’s charges were brought in 2019 as part of Operation Brace Yourself, an investigation that originated in South Carolina. Operation Brace Yourself, which was prosecuted in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Fraud Section, was a multi-jurisdictional investigation that involved the execution of more than 80 search warrants in 17 federal districts.

As for Chmiel’s criminal conduct, evidence presented to the court showed that Chmiel controlled and operated at least 10 DME companies, which were located throughout the United States. These DME companies were used by Chmiel and his coconspirators to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for braces that were not medically necessary and/or were obtained through the payment of kickbacks and bribes. 

To effectuate the scheme, these DME companies entered into agreements with an offshore call center to purchase completed doctors’ orders so the DME companies could bill Medicare. This offshore call center was advertising through television and internet advertisements.  Once a Medicare beneficiary called a 1-800 number that was on the advertisements, that Medicare beneficiary would be screened for eligibility and then convinced that he or she needed a brace, and oftentimes upsold on other braces.  The call center would then contact a telemedicine company whose physician and/or or nurse practitioner would issue a prescription without regard to the medical necessity.  Throughout the investigation the evidence revealed that beneficiaries were prescribed braces without ever being examined by, seeing, or, in some instances, even speaking to a medical professional. Evidence presented showed that Chmiel was attempting to hide that he was purchasing completed doctors’ orders by creating fraudulent and false invoices for alleged marketing and business processing services.

Throughout the health care fraud scheme, Chmiel’s companies, which included 10 DME companies, two dropship companies, and two additional companies that were used to facilitate the fraud – D.O. Delivery and Pain Center – billed Medicare in excess of $200 million and Medicare paid Chmiel’s companies in excess of $95 million.

Chmiel was also held accountable at sentencing for an obstruction of justice enhancement pursuant to the United States Sentencing Commission Guidelines. Based on evidence presented by the Government during the sentencing, the court held that when Chmiel testified as a government witness in a trial in the Eastern District of New York against a coconspirator, he knowingly gave false testimony on matters material to the health care fraud scheme, violating the terms of his plea agreement. 

“Chmiel’s scheme preyed upon honest citizens seeking medical help and this sentence brings an end to that exploitation,“ said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “We will continue to pursue and dismantle health care fraud schemes in South Carolina, especially those that permeate throughout the country.”

“Fraudulent schemes, such as this, undermine the trust and confidence of the American people in our healthcare programs,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This ruling should serve as a reminder that healthcare fraud remains a top priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners and we remain committed to the vigilance and accountability in preserving healthcare integrity.”

"This outcome underscores our unwavering commitment to combat health care fraud and pursue those who exploit Medicare beneficiaries and defraud taxpayers for personal gain,” stated Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG takes pride in collaborating with our partners to ensure accountability for those seeking to illegitimately profit from federal health care programs.”

“Crimes against our health care system equates to billions of dollars in losses and degrades a system designed to help those in need,” said Donald "Trey" Eakins, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge. “We will continue to stand with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who attempt to enrich themselves by fraudulent means, and to help end health care fraud."

United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson sentenced Chmiel to 108 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. The court also ordered that Chmiel pay $98,935,533.00 in restitution.

In addition to Chmiel’s sentence, two corporations were also sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson on Tuesday. D.O. Delivery, LLC and Pain Center, LLC, two entities that Chmiel owned and operated that were used to facilitate the health care fraud scheme. Each entity was sentenced to 12-months’ probation and ordered to pay $98,935,533.00 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, and IRS-Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower prosecuted the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Ronnie Dawsey, Jr., 41, of Lexington, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of child sexual abuse materials.*

Evidence presented to the court showed that on Aug. 31, 2020, Mr. Dawsey uploaded approximately seven images of child sex abuse materials to his Facebook account and subsequently sent the images to others using the Telegram application on his cell phone.

Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Mr. Dawsey to 240 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Mr. Dawsey was ordered to pay a total of $36,500 in restitution to seven different victims and to register as a sex offender.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews prosecuted the case.

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* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child.

 

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Vaughnta Markees Jones, 45, of Lancaster, was sentenced to five years in federal prison today for possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine. Jones was also sentenced for violating the terms of his prior federal supervised release. 

Evidence presented to the court showed that the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office learned that Jones was dealing illegal narcotics in Lancaster County. Jones was on federal supervised release following convictions of being a felon in possession of a firearm and knowingly receiving and possessing an unregistered firearm in 2010. On March 29, 2023, HSI along with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office used an undercover informant to make a purchase of methamphetamine from Jones. Upon arrival at Jones’ home, the informant met with Jones and purchase 49.8 grams of methamphetamine.  

Thereafter, on May 8, 2023, Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies, along with an HSI agent, conducted a traffic stop of a car driven by Jones in Lancaster County. During a search of the car, the police found approximately four and a half pounds of marijuana and three pills marked “IP 109” that were determined to be hydrocodone. Jones was arrested by and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with the intent to distribute hydrocodone and tramadol. Jones admitted that he had traveled to Maryland to obtain the marijuana and was returning to Lancaster County.  

Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Jones to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four year-term of court-ordered supervision.  Judge Currie also sentenced Jones to a consecutive 12 months and one day imprisonment for violating the terms of his prior supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — William Bruce Parker, former police chief, is scheduled be sentenced in federal court tomorrow, Thursday, March 14. Parker is being sentenced after being pleading guilty to cyberstalking resulting in serious bodily injury and communicating threats with the intent to extort victims for the production of pornography and coerced sex acts. Read the previous release here.

United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted Parker’s guilty plea in October of 2023 and will impose the sentence.

WHEN:         Thursday, March 14, 2024, 11 a.m.

 

WHERE:      Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Federal Courthouse

                        Courtroom 1

                        901 Richland Street

                        Columbia, South Carolina

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NOTE: The prosecuting attorneys will be available for interviews following the sentencing. The sentencing hearing could last more than one hour. No cameras or cell phones are allowed in federal court.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Paul James, III, 35, of Columbia, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on Aug. 19, 2020, James shot a man outside of a Percival Road gas station after the man and James’ girlfriend had an argument. The shooting was captured on the gas station’s video surveillance system. Both James and his girlfriend left the scene. After reviewing the surveillance video, Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigators obtained a search warrant for James’ girlfriend’s address. When investigators executed the search warrant, they found a 9mm handgun inside of a child’s toybox. James claimed ownership of the gun. 

James was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition based on previous convictions in 2008 for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and three convictions in 2018 for distributing heroin and crack cocaine. James was also convicted in 2008 and 2016 for unlawfully carrying a pistol. James was on probation when the shooting incident occurred.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced James to 15 years in prison, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Steven Clark Lefemine, 68, of West Columbia was found guilty yesterday of violating the Freedom of Access to a Clinic Entrances (FACE Act) by a federal judge following a bench trial.  This is the first FACE Act conviction in South Carolina.

The FACE Act provides criminal penalties for blocking access to any facility that provides reproductive health care services, including abortions. Evidence presented during trial showed that on Nov. 15, 2022, Lefemine sat in front of the entrance to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSA) in Columbia and blocked access to the facility. Testimony provided by employees of PPSA indicated that the clinic provides a litany of reproductive services, including birth control, mental health counseling, pregnancy testing and planning, prenatal and postpartum services as well as abortion. PPSA staff is familiar with Lefemine because he frequently protests the operation of the clinic. PPSA staff members preserved the incident via video and audio recording. Lefemine elected to act as his own attorney during the case. During his testimony, he admitted blocking the doors to the clinic to prevent the clinic from performing abortions.

“We will protect South Carolinians’ right to peacefully protest, but we will also protect their right to access healthcare facilities,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Lefemine’s protest became unlawful when he physically prevented patients from entering Planned Parenthood.”

United States District Judge Joseph A. Anderson presided over the bench trial, which lasted one day. Lefemine faces a maximum penalty of six months in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $10,000, and one year of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. Judge Anderson will sentence Lefemine after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson is prosecuted the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lemont Antwaun Darby, 37, of Orangeburg, was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Lemont Darby was a drug dealer who regularly received packages of marijuana through the U.S. Mail from California and elsewhere. Mjaan Roland, 31, of Chapin, was a city carrier with the Columbia Main Post Office and Dutch Fork Station. Darby approached Roland in March 2022 and asked him to facilitate the delivery of these packages of marijuana. The address Darby used was on Roland’s route. Darby compensated Roland for some of the deliveries by paying him between $100 and $200. On other occasions, he gave him small amounts of drugs.

United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Darby to 46 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

Codefendant Mjaan Roland previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston D. Holliday Jr. is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Dominic Sinclair Ervin, 38, of Columbia, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on July 16, 2019, Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) narcotics investigators conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Ervin. Ervin was stopped a short time later by an RCSD deputy. Ervin’s car was searched, and deputies found approximately 24 grams of heroin and 15 grams of methamphetamine along with a digital scale hidden in Ervin’s car. A loaded .45 cal. pistol was found under the driver’s seat.

On May 10, 2022, City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) officers responded to a call of a man threatening people with a gun at an apartment complex near Bailey St., in Columbia. Ervin matched the description of the suspect given to police. When CPD officers encountered Ervin, he fled into an apartment at the complex. Ervin was eventually taken into custody and found in possession of two firearms, one of which had an extended ammunition magazine attached. Ervin was out on bond from a previous arrest at this time.

Ervin was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition based on previous state and federal convictions. In 2008, Ervin was convicted of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. In 2009, he was convicted federally of knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Ervin to 132 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. —Takera A. Degree, 37, of Gaffney, was found guilty yesterday by a federal jury of stealing mail. 

Evidence presented to the jury during trial showed that in the spring of 2023, the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Postal Service received information about the possible theft of mail from the Gaffney post office. Approximately 100 postal customers reported mailing out greeting cards and other items from the Gaffney post office that were never received at their destinations. The period of these customer complaints, according to postal employees, coincided with Degree’s short tenure with the post office (approximately October 2022 to March 2023). 

Multiple postal employees observed Degree engage in questionable behavior such as keeping her personal handbag on carts containing outgoing mail, taking lengthy periods of time to retrieve mail from the blue boxes in front of the post office, and becoming agitated if another employee entered Degree’s work area. 

On March 9, 2023, OIG special agents installed two covert cameras in the lookout gallery at the Gaffney post office. Agents reviewed video and saw that on March 11, 2023, Degree was taking greeting cards out of the mail stream and putting them inside a folded piece of white paper. About 10 minutes later, Degree was observed leaving Gaffney post office with a yellow plastic bag that appeared to have the envelopes inside. Agents again reviewed video from March 18, 2023, and observed Degree taking greeting cards out of the mail stream and putting them inside of a black backpack. About five minutes later, Degree was observed leaving Gaffney post office with the black backpack.

Based on the video, agents interviewed Degree. Degree admitted to taking U.S. Mail out of the Gaffney post office, opening the mail, and then discarding the envelopes. Degree chose to resign from her position at this time.

“Postal employees have a duty to safeguard mail that comes into their possession,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “My office is dedicated to prosecuting those who steal from the public, especially those in a position of public trust.”

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins presided over the trial and will sentence Degree after reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Degree faces a statutory maximum of five years.  

This case was investigated by the Inspector General’s Office of U.S. Postal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Marosek and Bill Watkins prosecuted the case. 

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COLUMBIA, S.C. —Booker Henley, 29, of Columbia, was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday for possession of a firearm by a felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that on March 10, 2023, a deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Henley’s vehicle in the northeast area of Columbia near the intersection of Farrow Road and Hardscrabble Road. Henley fled and escaped from the deputy but crashed his vehicle moments later near the 2700 block of Clemson Rd. Members of the public reported the crash and multiple RCSD deputies responded to the crash site believing the vehicle was the same vehicle that had fled earlier. The vehicle smelled of marijuana and when deputies searched the vehicle they found a loaded firearm with an extended magazine, a bag containing 252 grams of marijuana, and a bill of sale for a separate vehicle in Henley’s name.

Prior to the crash, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), observed Henley’s social media accounts where he posted pictures of himself and advertised marijuana for sale. ATF obtained surveillance footage from the area which showed Henley running from the vehicle wearing unique clothing. Henley had previously posted pictures of himself wearing the same unique clothing on social media. Law enforcement also received a search warrant for his social media account which confirmed that he was using social media to advertise and sell drugs in the days before and after the crash. Notably, social media messages revealed that he had completed a drug sale in Columbia approximately 45 minutes before the chase with law enforcement. Additionally, they showed that he messaged someone four days after the crash admitting to wrecking his “skat” which is a term used to reference certain models of Dodge Chargers.

Lastly, Henley’s DNA was found on both the firearm and the extended magazine. Henley has prior convictions for pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, breaking into a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen pistol, and failure to stop for blue lights.

Henley faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $750,000, restitution, and five years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie presided over the trial and will sentence Henley after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lamar J. Fyall and Elizabeth Major are prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Roosevelt Curry, 69, of North Augusta, was sentenced to five years of federal probation after being convicted of a felony cockfighting violation.

Evidence presented to the court during trial showed that Curry and several others gathered at a home on Clayton Lane in Ridgeville, South Carolina on March 12, 2022, for a cockfighting tournament. Curry and others fought their chickens against one another and gambled on the outcomes of their birds fighting to death. Deputies received an anonymous tip about the gathering and when they arrived, they saw 30 individuals standing around a cockfighting pit, a blue barrel full of dead chickens with fighting wounds, and razor-sharp instruments that participants attach to the chickens’ legs to make them more lethal during the fights. Deputies searched the property and located Curry on scene along with his truck which contained cockfighting equipment and chickens, some of which sustained obvious wounds during fighting. Seven of the individuals on scene were indicted in federal court for their crucial role in organizing the fight or their longstanding history of participation in these illegal events. Six of those individuals pled guilty. Curry went to trial and was found guilty of felony sponsoring or exhibiting an animal in an animal fighting venture. Curry has a prior 2009 misdemeanor state cockfighting conviction on his record.

United States District Judge Bruce Hendricks sentenced Curry to five years of probation with 480 days of house arrest with an electronic monitor.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Inspector General, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Bianchi and Chris Lietzow prosecuted the case.

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FLORENCE, S.C. — William Graham Stokes, 40, of Hartsville, was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition after having previously been convicted of a felony.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on the evening of Jan. 20, 2023, an officer with Hartsville Police Department made a traffic stop on a Cadillac CTS driven by Stokes. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers found a backpack containing a loaded 9mm handgun. Stokes later admitted that the gun was his. At the time of the traffic stop, Stokes was on supervised release from a prior federal felony conviction. That prior conviction prohibited Stokes from legally possessing either the firearm or the ammunition with which it was loaded.

Chief United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell sentenced Stokes to 71 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  Chief Judge Harwell also revoked Stokes’s prior term of supervised release and sentenced him to 24 months imprisonment, with a three-year term of supervision to follow, that sentence to run concurrent with the sentence on the 2023 conduct.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by Hartsville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. —Susan Holliday, 61, of Hardeeville, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a minor on an airplane.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on May 14, 2023, Ms. Holliday was flying on Breeze Airways from Louisville, Kentucky to Charleston, South Carolina. She was inebriated from drinking alcohol. She was seated next to a 14-year-old girl. 

Ms. Holliday rubbed the leg and head of the minor child. Holliday also placed the child’s hand on Ms. Holliday’s chest. These actions caused a disruption on the plane and several passengers, including the child’s mother, intervened. Ms. Holliday was moved to a different seat and a flight attendant stayed with her for the remainder of the flight.

Holliday faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison. She also faces a fine of up to $100,000, restitution, and one year of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.  United States District Judge Richard Gergel accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Holliday after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Holmes is prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. —Cordero Prioleau, 35, of Ladson, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to bank fraud.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Prioleau deposited a fraudulent check into his Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) bank account in the amount of $24,679.55. Prior to the check being returned to NFCU as fraudulent, over a period of five days, Prioleau withdrew $22,700.00 from his bank account.

United States District Judge Richard Gergel sentenced Prioleau to 30 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the United States Secret Service with assistance from the Charleston Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy F. Bower is prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Derrick Maurice Simpson, 33, of North Charleston, was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Evidence presented to the court showed that beginning in 2020, Simpson arranged shipments of kilograms of cocaine from Harlingen, Texas to various locations throughout the Charleston area. Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Charleston Resident Office learned that with the assistance of his co-conspirators, Simpson would transport drug proceeds to Texas, where he would then arrange for parcels, typically in groups of three or four at a time and containing one kilogram of cocaine each, to be shipped via the United States Postal Service back to Charleston. During the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately eight and a half kilograms of cocaine and $195,000 in cash drug proceeds. Law enforcement estimates that Simpson and his co-conspirators shipped approximately 50 kilograms of cocaine into the Charleston area during the conspiracy.

United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Simpson to 336 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 10-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the City of Charleston Police Department (CPD), the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), the Town of Summerville Police Department (SPD), the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD), the Mount Pleasant Police Department (MPPD), and the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Sowards is prosecuting the case.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. —Alvin Bernard Parks, 42, has pleaded guilty to sending a threatening letter to a federal judge through the mail.

According to court documents, Parks is alleged to have sent a letter to a specifically named United States District Court Judge for the District of South Carolina. The handwritten letter contained threats to harm the judge. An excerpt from the letter reads: “I have watched you leave the courthouse numerous times and plotted to get my revenge.” The letter goes on to say, “you best to make sure they lock me away for good cause I’m going to kill you or blow that courthouse up.” The return address on the letter was listed as Alvin Parks with the address to the Greenville County Detention Center, where Parks is detained.

The presiding judge accepted Parks’ plea and will sentence him after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report from the U.S. Probation Office. Parks faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. 

The case is being investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Cauthen is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nicholas Barrios Rattray, 40, of Batesville-Leesville, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on Nov. 28, 2018, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department narcotics agents visited Rattray’s Leesville residence after receiving information that Rattray was possibly involved in the distribution of methamphetamine. While agents spoke briefly with Rattray at the residence, they could smell the odor of marijuana and determined that the smell was coming from Rattray’s residence. A search warrant was obtained for the property. During a subsequent search of the residence and a vehicle parked on the property, agents found over 500 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms, marijuana, and over $10,000 in cash among other items consistent with drug distribution. 

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Rattray to 60 months in prison, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.

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WASHINGTON – After a four-day trial in a federal hate crime case, a jury found a South Carolina man, Daqua Lameek Ritter, guilty of all charges in the indictment, which included one hate crime count, one federal firearms count, and one obstruction count, all arising out of the murder of Dime Doe, a transgender woman.

“Acts of violence against LGBTQI+ people, including transgender women of color like Dime Doe, are on the rise and have no place in our society,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The Justice Department takes seriously all bias-motivated acts of violence and will not hesitate to hold accountable those who commit them. No one should have to live in fear of deadly violence because of who they are.”

“A unanimous jury has found the defendant guilty for the heinous and tragic murder of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The jury’s verdict sends a clear message: Black trans lives matter, bias-motivated violence will not be tolerated, and perpetrators of hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This case is historic; this defendant is the first to be found guilty by trial verdict for a hate crime motivated by gender identify under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We want the Black trans community to know that you are seen and heard, that we stand with the LGBTQI+ community, and that we will use every tool available to seek justice for victims and their families.”

“Years of collaborative work were validated by a jury’s unanimous verdict: guilty. This sends a message of hope to our community that we will fight for the rights of those targeted for their gender identity or sexual orientation. As Dime Doe’s loved ones remember her, we hope this verdict provides them some comfort,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Our office will continue to work with the FBI to increase education on federal hate crime statues and how we can, and will, prosecute crimes motivated by bias in South Carolina.”

“Justice has prevailed in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This guilty verdict underscores the importance of upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals. This outcome will never completely erase the pain Doe’s family faces, but it is our hope that it brings a measure of closure to this tragic and heinous crime.”

Evidence presented at trial showed that Ritter was upset that rumors about his sexual relationship with Dime Doe were out in the community. On Aug. 4, 2019, the defendant lured Doe to a remote area in Allendale, South Carolina, and shot her three times in the head. At trial, the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Ritter murdered Doe because of her gender identity. Ritter then burned the clothes he was wearing during the crime, disposed of the murder weapon, and repeatedly lied to law enforcement. 

Doe faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Columbia Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Allendale County Sheriff’s Office, and Allendale Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brook Andrews, Ben Garner, and Elle Klein for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

This was the first trial under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for violence against a transgender person. The Shepard-Byrd Act is a landmark federal statute passed in 2009 which allows federal criminal prosecution of hate crimes motivated by the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Additional information about the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is available here.  

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After a four-day trial in a federal hate crime case, a jury found a South Carolina man, Daqua Lameek Ritter, guilty of all charges in the indictment, which included one hate crime count, one federal firearms count, and one obstruction count, all arising out of the murder of Dime Doe, a transgender woman.

“Acts of violence against LGBTQI+ people, including transgender women of color like Dime Doe, are on the rise and have no place in our society,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The Justice Department takes seriously all bias-motivated acts of violence and will not hesitate to hold accountable those who commit them. No one should have to live in fear of deadly violence because of who they are.”

“A unanimous jury has found the defendant guilty for the heinous and tragic murder of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The jury’s verdict sends a clear message: Black trans lives matter, bias-motivated violence will not be tolerated, and perpetrators of hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This case is historic; this defendant is the first to be found guilty by trial verdict for a hate crime motivated by gender identity under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We want the Black trans community to know that you are seen and heard, that we stand with the LGBTQI+ community, and that we will use every tool available to seek justice for victims and their families.”

“Years of collaborative work were validated by a jury’s unanimous verdict: guilty. This sends a message of hope to our community that we will fight for the rights of those targeted for their gender identity or sexual orientation. As Dime Doe’s loved ones remember her, we hope this verdict provides them some comfort,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Our office will continue to work with the FBI to increase education on federal hate crime statues and how we can, and will, prosecute crimes motivated by bias in South Carolina.”

“Justice has prevailed in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This guilty verdict underscores the importance of upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals. This outcome will never completely erase the pain Doe’s family faces, but it is our hope that it brings a measure of closure to this tragic and heinous crime.”

Evidence presented at trial showed that Ritter was upset that rumors about his sexual relationship with Dime Doe were out in the community. On Aug. 4, 2019, the defendant lured Doe to a remote area in Allendale, South Carolina, and shot her three times in the head. At trial, the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Ritter murdered Doe because of her gender identity. Ritter then burned the clothes he was wearing during the crime, disposed of the murder weapon, and repeatedly lied to law enforcement. 

Ritter* faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Columbia Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Allendale County Sheriff’s Office, and Allendale Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brook Andrews, Ben Garner, and Elle Klein for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

This was the first trial under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for violence against a transgender person. The Shepard-Byrd Act is a landmark federal statute passed in 2009 which allows federal criminal prosecution of hate crimes motivated by the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Additional information about the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is available here.  

* This has been corrected to reflect the correct name of the defendant. 

FLORENCE, S.C. — Rayshawn Mortress Tutt Smoot, 34, of Florence, was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on Aug. 11, 2022, investigators with the Florence Police Department, deputies with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, and agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division went to arrest Smoot in Florence for active arrest warrants.  Upon arriving at the residence, officers observed a car parked on a vacant lot and Smoot in the driver’s seat.  Officers also saw a pistol with a drum magazine on the front passenger seat.  During a search of the car, officers found approximately 33 grams of crack cocaine, approximately five grams of cocaine, a digital scale, and a box of sandwich baggies along with the pistol.  The pistol had a drum magazine which was loaded with 26 rounds of ammunition. 

United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Smoot to a total of 106 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, Florence Police Department, Florence County Sheriff’s Office, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — The United States Attorney's Office is sponsoring the 23rd Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”) Logo Contest. The statewide contest invites students to use their creativity to spark conversations on how to prevent gun violence in our schools by designing a logo for use on upcoming SC PSN publications. The theme is “Preventing Gun Violence in Our Schools – Know the Signs.”

The contest is open to all South Carolina grade school students, including homeschooled students, and entries will be categorized into four grade divisions. A winner will be selected from each of the four divisions, and each division winner will receive $50. An overall winning logo will be chosen from the four division winners and will receive an additional $50 prize for a total of $100. Click here to see last year’s winners.

The winning entries will be chosen by “The Insiders,” a select group of students from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, who travel throughout the state encouraging children and promoting community awareness of the consequences of juvenile crime. In addition to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Association for this year’s contest.

Entries should be consistent with the theme “Preventing Gun Violence in Our Schools – Know the Signs.” The deadline for submissions is April 13, 2026. If your student is interested in participating, contact your local school as contest information has been sent to all South Carolina schools. Applications and contest rules may also be found on our website.

The centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. The contest is an important prevention initiative that has proven to be an effective way to engage our students in meaningful conversation about preventing gun crimes among our young people and ensuring a safe learning atmosphere for our schoolchildren.

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2026_23rd_psn_logo_contest_entry_form_and_instructions.pdf

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gayle Smith Gay, 75, of Huntersville, N.C., was sentenced to five years of probation with 240 days of home confinement after pleading guilty theft of government funds and making a false statement in an application for a passport.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Gayle Smith Gay and her husband, Ivan Buxton Gay, Jr., engaged in a multi-decade scheme where they collected Social Security benefits under fraudulent identities from 2006 to 2023. Ms. Gay adopted the identity of her deceased sister, who died as an infant after living for only a few hours in February 1944. Mr. Gay adopted the identity of Alvin Vincent Lee, who also died as a child in 1941. Using the name Catherine Faye Smith, Ms. Gay changed the birth certificate of her sister in 1977 to read “Catherine Faye Smith” rather than “baby girl Smith” and applied for a Social Security number in that name in 1992. Using the name Catherine Smith Lee, Ms. Gay applied for a U.S. Passport in 2010 and renewed that passport in 2020. Ms. Gay began receiving Title II retirement benefits under the false identity, Catherine Smith Lee, in 2006 and subsequently began receiving supplemental security income benefits in 2009. Mr. and Ms. Gay continued to collect benefits from the Social Security Administration until April 2023 when their scheme was discovered by law enforcement.

United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Gayle Smith Gay to a five-year term of court-ordered supervision to include 240 days of home detention. As a condition of probation, Ms. Gay must pay $132,962.00 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. Ivan Buxton Gay, Jr. pled guilty to the same charges in the Western District of North Carolina and is awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration and the Department of State. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews prosecuted the case.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. — A federal grand injury returned a two-count indictment against Alvin Bernard Parks, 42, in connection with sending a threatening letter to a federal judge.

According to court documents, Parks is alleged to have sent a letter to a specifically named United States District Court Judge for the District of South Carolina. The handwritten letter contained threats to harm the judge. An excerpt from the letter reads: “I have watched you leave the courthouse numerous times and plotted to get my revenge.” The letter goes on to say, “you best to make sure they lock me away for good cause I’m going to kill you or blow that courthouse up.” The return address on the letter was listed as Alvin Parks with the address to the Greenville County Detention Center, where Parks is detained.

“Our public officials should have the freedom to carry out their work without fear of harm,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Targeted and violent threats like this will be prosecuted in the District of South Carolina.”

The case is being investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Cauthen is prosecuting the case. 

U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the complaint are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nicholas Vanover, 26, of Columbia, was sentenced to an additional term in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Vanover had been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in a previous federal case. After he pled guilty to the prior felon in possession charge, he was allowed to stay out on bond awaiting sentencing. While awaiting sentencing, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives learned that Vanover was continuing to sell marijuana from his apartment.  

While on bond and awaiting sentencing for his prior firearm guilty plea, he violated the conditions of his bond by having multiple positive drug tests. Probation officers obtained an arrest warrant for his bond violations and U.S. Marshals served the warrant at Vanover’s apartment. When they entered the apartment, they saw a digital scale with marijuana with several large capacity ammunition magazines. They obtained a search warrant and found a .40 caliber handgun with a drum magazine capable of accepting 50 rounds of ammunition, several extended magazines capable of accepting more than 15 rounds of ammunition, an AK-47 style rifle, four large bags containing more than 500 grams of marijuana, approximately $16,000.00 in U.S. currency, a money counter, and a pharmacist-sized (one pint) bottle of codeine cough syrup, which had been stolen during a pharmacy robbery in Kershaw County.

Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Vanover to 75 months imprisonment consecutive to the 63-month term he is currently serving for his prior conviction.  Following his incarceration, he will serve a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Columbia Police Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon prosecuted the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jaime Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias, a/k/a “Father Gonzalez,” 69, a former Catholic priest, of Laurens, was sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison following a conviction for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sexual acts.

Father Gonzalez-Farias served as a Catholic priest since at least 1990, including in South Carolina from 2015 until his suspension by the Catholic authorities in late 2020. He most recently served at parishes in Newberry and Laurens Counties. He also served in parishes in Florida and New Jersey.

In early 2020, Gonzalez-Farias met the minor victim, an 11-year-old boy, and his family through his position as a priest. Gonzalez-Farias began giving high levels of attention to the child, including giving gifts such as a cellphone that he used to communicate with the victim. In November 2020, the child’s family reported to Catholic authorities their concern that the priest’s relationship with the child was inappropriate. Church authorities suspended Gonzalez-Farias and made a report to the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Columbia Field Office.

Investigators learned that in November 2020 the priest took the minor victim to Florida alone under the pretense of a beach vacation, and during that trip, Gonzales-Farias masturbated in front of the victim, attempted to sexually assault him, and showed the minor victim pornography. Investigators uncovered numerous text messages and WhatsApp messages sent by the priest to the minor, that included affectionate names for the child and messages that were inappropriate, crossed appropriate boundaries, and were consistent with the minor victim’s disclosure of abuse.

After his arrest by FBI agents on Nov. 28, 2022, at the Miami International Airport, Gonzalez-Farias admitted that he touched the minor victim’s genitals in Florida and that he showed the victim pornography and showered with the victim in South Carolina. FBI searched the contents of Gonzales-Farias’s devices, and the contents of those devices showed a continued interest in minors. Gonzalez-Farias pleaded guilty in August 2023.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Gonzalez-Farias to 262 months imprisonment, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.  Gonzalez-Farias will also have to register as a sex offender as a result of his conviction, and he was ordered to pay restitution to the victim for losses incurred as a result of his conduct.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and E. Elizabeth Major are prosecuting the case.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Peter J. Strauss, 45, of Beaufort, has pleaded guilty to removal of property to prevent seizure.

Strauss was the founder and managing partner of the Strauss Law Firm, LLC located in Hilton Head. The Strauss Law Firm specialized in estate and tax planning, asset protection and the implementation of captive insurance solutions for clients. Strauss also served as principal of Hamilton Captive Management (“HCM”), a captive insurance management company that provides management services to his clients’ captive insurance funds.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Strauss knowingly transferred millions of dollars for Jeff and Paulette Carpoff, two individuals who have since been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the largest criminal fraud scheme in the Eastern District of California.

Jeff and Paulette Carpoff owned and operated DC Solar Solutions, Inc. and DC Solar Distribution, Inc. (“DC Solar”), California corporations that designed, manufactured and leased renewable energy products, specializing predominantly in the production of mobile solar generators.

On Dec. 18, 2018, the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies executed numerous search warrants on the businesses associated with DC Solar, as well as the personal residences of Jeff and Paulette Carpoff. Several seizure warrants were also executed on bank accounts and assets associated with DC Solar and its principals. The search warrants were conducted in conjunction with a large-scale investigation regarding an investment fraud and money laundering scheme being operated by the principals of DC Solar. At the time, federal authorities alleged that the Carpoffs committed wire fraud and tax fraud and diverted investors’ money for personal use. Federal authorities further alleged that DC Solar manufactured only a small percentage of the mobile solar generators and created fictitious lease agreements to show their investors in order to obtain investments. 

Following the execution of search and seizure warrants related to an investigation into the Carpoffs’ company, Strauss received $11 million from the Carpoffs. On Dec. 19, 2018, the first $5 million was transferred into Strauss’ IOLTA account and thereafter distributed to various criminal defense attorneys and bankruptcy counsel and to Carpoffs’ captive insurance funds, managed by Strauss’ captive insurance management company. Thereafter, on Dec. 28, 2018, Strauss received an additional $3 million, used to pay for the Carpoffs’ captive insurance fund premiums.

Finally, on Jan. 15, 2019, the Carpoffs wired Strauss $3 million into Strauss’ IOLTA account. Thereafter, the funds were comingled in Strauss’ IOLTA account and completely spent over the next few months. By pleading guilty, Strauss admitted that by the time of the $3 million transfer on Jan. 15, 2019, he knowingly transferred and aided and abetted the transfer of funds from Carpoff to prevent and impair the government’s lawful authority to take such property into its custody and control. The defendant has agreed to pay $2,700,000 in restitution to the Federal Clerk of Court at or before the sentencing.

On Jan. 24, 2020, Jeff Carpoff pleaded guilty in California to money laundering and wire fraud and was thereafter sentenced to 30 years in prison. On Nov. 9, 2021, Paulette Carpoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and money laundering. Paulette was sentenced to 11 years and three months on June 28, 2022.

Strauss faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.  United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Strauss after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse is prosecuting the case.

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ANDERSON, S.C. — Jesus Paz Rodriguez, 30, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Paz-Rodriguez was the source of at least 60 kilograms of cocaine from approximately 2019 until his arrest in February 2022. During the conspiracy, Paz was shipped large amounts of cocaine from his home state of Arizona to Upstate South Carolina. Members of the drug trafficking organization would then courier or ship drug proceeds from South Carolina back to Paz-Rodriguez in the border state.  On Feb. 9, 2022, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at a location in Mauldin, South Carolina, used by the traffickers to store and distribute drugs. Investigators found Paz-Rodriguez and co-conspirators with multiple kilograms of cocaine.

United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Paz-Rodriguez to 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen is prosecuting the case.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. — Randy James Kennedy, 35, of Piedmont, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Kennedy obtained methamphetamine through the mail and directed others on its handling and distribution. While in jail on state charges, Kennedy attempted to have drugs brought into the jail by others. Kennedy had multiple prior drug and firearms related convictions at the time he committed the federal offense.

United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Kennedy to 216 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen is prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Corey Xavier Baldwin, 56, of Concord, North Carolina, was sentenced to 53 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Baldwin was one of 10 defendants charged in April 2014, following a drug trafficking investigation in the Columbia area. Six of the 10 defendants were arrested in April 2014, while four remained fugitives, including Baldwin. Baldwin remained a fugitive until his September 2022 arrest by the United States Marshals Service in Concord, North Carolina. Two other fugitives were arrested in 2017 in Texas, and one was arrested in May 2022 in Brooklyn, New York.

The 2013 investigation revealed that a group of individuals was obtaining heroin from various sources outside of South Carolina and then distributing it in the Midlands. Several packages sent through the mail, destined for Columbia, and containing heroin, were intercepted by law enforcement during the investigation. Evidence also showed that the co-defendants later traveled to New York to obtain heroin and transported it back to Columbia where it was distributed. Baldwin, who came to Columbia in 2013 after a prison sentence in Ohio for a 1994 aggravated murder conviction, participated by transporting money to New York during the trips to obtain heroin and assisted in the distribution of heroin in the Columbia area.  

Nine of Baldwin’s co-defendants earlier pled guilty to their role in the drug conspiracy here in South Carolina and were sentenced as follows:

• Eric Shawn Bradley of Columbia was sentenced to 210 months imprisonment with eight years of supervised release;
• Michael Glover of Columbia was sentenced to 324 months imprisonment with eight years of supervised release;
• Jihad Salahadeen Pollard of Columbia was sentenced to 121 months imprisonment with four years of supervised release;
• Kenneth Crawford, Jr. of Washington, D.C. and formerly of Columbia was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment with eight years of supervised release; 
• Charles Raheem Bradley of Columbia was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment with six years of supervised release;
• Anthony Troy Glover of Columbia was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment with eight years of supervised release;
• Larry Grover Bookman of Columbia was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment with six years of supervised release;
• Jessany Lyons of Far Rockaway, New York, was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment with three years of supervised release; and
• Dockim Deeshawn McKnight of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment with four years of supervised release.

The New York heroin suppliers were charged and convicted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for their role in the drug conspiracy.

Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. sentenced Baldwin to 53 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This OCDETF case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) High Intensity Drug Task Force, which was comprised of agents and officers from the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, Columbia Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. The United States Marshals Service and the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force-Charlotte Office assisted in locating the four fugitives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case.

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SPARTANBURG, S.C. — William Michael Hall, of Union, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Hall had been released from federal prison in April of 2020, following a 10-year sentence for a previous federal drug offense, and was still on federal supervised release at the time of the incident.

Evidence presented to the court showed that in early 2021, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that Hall was receiving large shipments of drugs through the mail. Additionally, agents seized telephone messages between Hall and a drug distributor in Ohio showing that Hall had been supplying the distributor with large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs since at least August of 2020. Finally, on July 29, 2021, deputies with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office intercepted a courier Hall had recruited to transport drugs from Atlanta. A search of the courier’s vehicle revealed approximately one kilogram of fentanyl and five kilograms of methamphetamine. Deputies also determined that Hall was traveling in tandem with the courier in a nearby vehicle.   

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Hall to 210 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. Furthermore, because Hall was on federal supervised release at the time of his offense, the court sentenced him to serve an additional 30 months in prison consecutive to the sentence imposed, bringing his total sentence to 20 years. There is no parole in the federal system.  

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen is prosecuting the case.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. — Michael Earl Mashburn, 49, of Travelers Rest, was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence presented to the court showed that in the early morning hours of July 2, 2022, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate reports of a suspicious person at a residence in Travelers Rest. Greenville County deputies responded and found Mashburn sleeping in his car in the homeowner’s driveway. Mashburn woke up and told the deputies he did not know how he arrived at that location. As Mashburn stepped out of the vehicle, deputies observed the handle of a gun protruding from his pocket. Deputies recovered a loaded .38 caliber handgun as well as small amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and placed Mashburn under arrest. At the time of his arrest, Mashburn had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, pointing-and-presenting a firearm, possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime, failure to stop for blue lights and multiple instances of burglary, larceny, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of various drugs.

United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong sentenced Mashburn to 92 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen is prosecuting the case.

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