SC

Scandal Brewing In Charleston County RMC Office

GOVERNMENT “SLUSH FUND” RAISES CONCERNS The politician who handles all of Charleston County (S.C.)’s real estate transactions has landed in some hot water after local auditors started poking around his alleged “slush fund.” Charlie Lybrand – who was first elected as Charleston’s Register Mesne Conveyance (RMC) in 1994 – has…

GOVERNMENT “SLUSH FUND” RAISES CONCERNS

The politician who handles all of Charleston County (S.C.)’s real estate transactions has landed in some hot water after local auditors started poking around his alleged “slush fund.”

Charlie Lybrand – who was first elected as Charleston’s Register Mesne Conveyance (RMC) in 1994 – has reportedly been maintaining a slush fund based on overage charges that have accrued over the past two decades.

County auditors paid a visit to the RMC’s office earlier this week after they were tipped off to the existence of the fund – which allegedly does not appear on the county’s books.  Their investigation – and the looming likelihood of negative media coverage – prompted Lybrand to send out a mass email to the people he’s been nickel-and-diming all these years.

“The sole purpose of this account is to help real estate attorneys get their documents recorded in a timely manner,” Lybrand wrote in his email. “Some are now questioning the validity of this account and I’ve decided to ask for your guidance.”

“If you feel that this overage account has become unnecessary, please let me know and I will close it down immediately,” he added.

Ummmm … really?

According to Lybrand, the overage fee – which allows his office to “keep the change” from thousands of real estate transactions – was put in place by his predecessor and has “worked flawlessly for 36 years.”

Yeah … for him.

Whether Lybrand has the right to keep this money (he claims the county statutes “leave no room for debate”) is the first of many questions that need to be asked – and answered – in this situation.

How much money has been collected, for example?  And where did it go?

“Keeping the change is not the issue, he has literally been keeping the change and using it as (his office) sees fit,” one of our sources said.  “There is no oversight on what he has defined as being ‘fit.’  There is no budget, no one checking to see if it is going to his family, no nothing – just slush.”

Stay tuned … when we get numbers, you’ll get numbers.

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35 comments

Gregory Geddings September 26, 2014 at 4:16 pm

“I like Santa Claus”
-Kid in line in front of Ralphie at Dept. Store in “Christmas Story”

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The Peasants Are Angry September 26, 2014 at 4:17 pm

South Carolina is on a roll. No point stopping now. There is so much more STEALING by government entities that can be exposed in Chuck Town.

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Republican Follies September 26, 2014 at 4:19 pm

THANK GOD FOR NIKKI HALEY!

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WW September 26, 2014 at 4:27 pm

Cork it Sandi! She is a liar, an incompetent, ethics violator and has NO morals whatsoever! She needs to go!

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roberto September 26, 2014 at 5:46 pm

So if ms Haley fucked an intern, she would get your support?

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shifty henry September 26, 2014 at 5:50 pm

Whatever happened to Zach?

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guest September 26, 2014 at 10:03 pm

I don’t give a fuck who Haley has fucked or not fucked. I don’t give a fuck if Ervin fucks the ugly, old lady or not and who in the fuck would fuck that pussy and socialist wimp Sheheen?

Obama and Reid fucked America with the faux “war on women” agenda while the Muslim brotherhood and ISIS plotted to fuck us. The Democrat Party is fucked in 2014.

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ddean62 September 27, 2014 at 5:22 pm

She is not a democrat.

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shifty henry September 26, 2014 at 5:24 pm

“Some are now questioning the validity of this account and I’ve decided to ask for your guidance.”

This after 36 years? Why hasn’t ANYBODY heard about this either publicly or even whispered? Now he and his butt-buddies are rushing to cover their asses. I laugh in their faces!

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History Repeats Once Again September 27, 2014 at 11:45 am

They will use the old line, “I did not know it was illegal.” Meanwhile, a very high paid attorney and his staff are employed full time by Charleston County – and have been for many years. Since 1994 …. no chance of anyone believing whatever defense they present.

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History Repeasts Once Again September 27, 2014 at 11:55 am

… and come to think of it, Charleston Mayor Riley and his family were heavy into real estate at one time. When he became Mayor, his connections with developers became suspicious. Now with computer systems in place for documentation and record keeping, best we take a walk back into time and do forensics? Certain to turn up lots of illegal and criminal matters, ya think? Not so easy to keep it covered up these days, unless they destroyed records – or made none, as in the case of Bobby Harrell.

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Philip Branton September 29, 2014 at 11:19 am

****…meanwhile, after a landslide victory……***

Crowd from outside a portico: “SHIFTY…..SHIFTY……SHIFTY…….!!!”

Shifty’s co-ed intern: “WOW……that was the most awesomeness speech I have ever heard….how did you ever come up with such wisdom….?”

Shifty: (wiping brow and brushing his top hat) “…My Dear, looking people in the eye and actually having the guts to ask a great question they never hear on a NEWSCAST does wonders….”

Intern: “I counted that you winked at the crowd exactly THREE times…why..!!”

Shifty: ” I wasn’t winking at the crowd……I was looking through the camera and winking at Mande Wilkes, Nancy Mace and Mrs Wil Folks….”

Intern: “What For….?”

Shifty: “Never waste a camera angle and not let your fan club know your thinking of them….. !!”

+30 points and a mascara swag bag……..

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RHood2 September 26, 2014 at 5:47 pm

By most statutes, excess money in a department’s budget revert to the general fund at the end of the year. Unless they have been moved elsewhere and, as you write, do not appear in the account at the end of the year. Slimy.

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FastEddy23 September 26, 2014 at 8:10 pm

Right you are. Here in Taxifornia the various state and county agencies create slush funds and spend at the fiscal year end … unless it is not discovered by watchdawgs, then it just becomes a secret slush fund to be dispersed as the party in power decides. (The Taxifornia Parks Dept. had one of those that accumulated tens of Million$ until it was discovered … when the democrats began whining about budget cuts and increasing taxes and running audits … Audits are a good thing, whichever party is in power.)

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FU September 26, 2014 at 8:20 pm

That is nothing. Each and every Solicitor keeps a slush fund made up of money from diversion programs (Pre Trial Intervention, Alcohol Education Program, Traffic Education Program) that they use as they see fit with no oversight. They use it to fund the alcohol at the Solicitor’s Conference and God knows what else. If the public knew that they used the profits from kids under 21 being busted for possessing alcohol to fund the open bar at the annual Solicitor’s Conference, they would go Ferguson.

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Guero September 26, 2014 at 9:37 pm

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Bad check coolections are a growth business. Donnie Myers was laying off assistant solicitors at the same time he was adding check collectors. Don’t forget he was busted for DUI driving a Lincoln he “upgraded????” from his county issued Ford using slush fund money.

I’ll bet no one on this board has ever seen a solicitors actual budget with all income streams. No reporter will touch the story.

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nitrat September 27, 2014 at 7:42 am

Electing people for positions like solicitors, sheriffs and coroners, is an old fashioned concept that has outlived its usefulness…and, demonstrated the corruption in the criminal ‘justice’ system.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein September 27, 2014 at 10:48 am

Electing people for positions like solicitors, sheriffs and coroners, is an old fashioned concept that has outlived its usefulness…

Why do you HATE democracy?

[smiles]

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Lets Clean It Up September 27, 2014 at 12:08 pm

Same for the public defender offices and their operating budgets. The things that go on behind the walls that the public does not know about could cause their jaws to drop in disbelief.

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Guero September 27, 2014 at 4:44 pm

That’s nonsense. PDs have almost no discretionary funds and no dedicated income streams like the solicitors. PDs have actual budgets which can be requested under the FOIA

Night Train September 29, 2014 at 10:07 am

Stop lying and covering for your attorney friends. There has been abuse and misuse of public monies going on. You want to be tied to it?

Night Train September 29, 2014 at 10:05 am

Yeah. Like electing the chief public defender for each county. It is so ass backwards and ludicrous. There has been substantiated abuse uncovered over the years in these offices, but has never been reported on. But times have changed. Maybe it’s time to take a real hard and close look at the entire court system that is totally “self policing.”

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TSIB September 29, 2014 at 2:37 pm

The chief pd is elected?

FairTaxJohn September 26, 2014 at 10:58 pm

Charlie is just the type of establishment “Republican” that GOP needs to wash its hands of. Charleston county GOP has made progress in electing principled liberty minded conservative officers and we need to get these folks elected to office. First step is getting rid of people like this

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Uh huh September 28, 2014 at 12:27 pm

There’s no such thing as a fair tax.

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Offended republican September 27, 2014 at 5:36 pm

Hold on. Charlie Lybrand is a republican. Therefore, he is the best choice for Charleston County residents. Will, you must take down this negative story immediately. People may think that the Democrat challenger, Patrick Bell, is not a liberal, pink-o, spendthrift, kumbaya-singing humanist.

And stop picking on Bobby Harrell. He’s clean, too — he just misplaced some receipts.

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Kuyperdog September 27, 2014 at 10:39 pm

Obviously, none of the commenters below even know Charlie Lybrand.
He is above board and runs a tight ship. He might have a little “overage” on his weight, but never a bit over the line on ethics-
I highly recommend his reelection to all Charleston County voters-

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west_rhino September 29, 2014 at 11:50 am

given the last “real challenge” was on the issue of making title searchers begin to pay for use of the RMC’s photo copiers, given that the same title searchers had been billing their clients $5.00 that had been going to their own slush funds, but I digress

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noname September 29, 2014 at 9:14 pm

I worked for this guy in this department for one year. That’s all I could handle. I’m unaware of any “slush fund” but I know for a fact fat wallet developers and attorneys expect deferential treatment. I know this because I was dressed down by Lybrand for waiting on an older black woman who was next in line over a “fat wallet.” I even tried to file a complaint with Charleston County Human Resources but was dismissed without any investigation.

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Slartibartfast September 28, 2014 at 12:15 am

Now we are full circle. Back in the 70’s the populace was angry and shouting because the RMCs and Solicitors were ALWAYS asking for more and more money. “Why don’t you have a capital overage account? That’s the responsible thing to do!” they all said.

So, they did. Now, everybody is pissed off because they all have capital overage accounts – and the one guy who doesn’t get to have one is still asking for more money.

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Pinner September 28, 2014 at 1:54 pm

Sounds like the “keep the change” program used by our school districts. Looking forward to getting the annual update from FITS of their ever-growing slush funds… There should be a law against stealing from the public in this manner.

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Throw out the bum September 28, 2014 at 7:20 pm

Amen. What else does Charlie Lybrand do? Steal toner for his home copier?

The Post & Courier, Sep 28 2014

Realtors backing courthouse Democrat

Charleston County RMC challenger gets key endorsement

Patrick Bell, a Democrat who is challenging Republican
Register of Mesne Conveyance Charlie Lybrand, picked up a key endorsement this
week.

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors gave Bell its
highest rating of “recommended,” while it rated Lybrand as
“qualified.”

The RMC’s office records deeds and other real estate transactions, so
the Realtors group is one of its main constituencies, as are lawyers
who handle property transactions.

Patrick Arnold of the association said Bell was given the
highest rating because he showed “a strong understanding of the future
technological needs and expectations of those working in property transactions
from the RMC office Realtors.”

The RMC race is expected to be competitive on Nov. 4 because
county
voters have voted increasingly Democratic in recent years. In 2012,
Charleston County Democrats won their first courthouse position in several
years when Peter Tecklenburg was elected Auditor.

Dorchester Republicans have a choice

Jordan Bryngelson’s resignation as the Dorchester County GOP
chairman has brought out two candidates to replace him. Bryngelson resigned
last week to address a forgery charge filed against him.

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Night Train September 29, 2014 at 10:18 am

Yeah. Like how many vacation trips have they taken on the tax payers dime. How many smartphones have they purchased. How many tablets have they purchased for personal use. How many personal automobiles have they pumped full of gasoline with government credit and/or debit cards. How many meals have they purchased with these same plastic cards … .. .
We all know they do it. We all know how former Charleston County school board chairman Nancy Cook ripped off hundreds of thousands of dollars. But here we are THREE YEARS later with overwhelming evidence of her crimes, and she still has not been charged and arrested.

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Philip Branton September 29, 2014 at 11:06 am

LOL…..ROFL……..

This is yet another CLASSIC… ( …and I mean CLASSIC) example of how the status quo does not understand how social media and on-line BANK Accounts are going to whiplash them….!!!

For so long…..they have only had to answer to some intern on a board who had NO CLUE of what questions to really ask. On top of that…..they have had no oversight on many dealings and have been entrusted to act as a taxpayer in making decisions. Well, obviously they have not been as proactive in being as transparent as a taxpayer…!!!

These “slush funds” at DOT and DHEC an all the other agencies had better start reviewing themselves and being revealed on line in all FORMS…!!

All it takes is ONE teacher at ONE high School ……(or just one guy and a laptop in the FITSNEWS comment section) and these agencies personnel are going to be finding themselves being questioned on SUNDAY at Church…!!!

DARE to wonder if Lin Bennett has a figure of the “value” of the RMC slush fund…!?

She knows the price of a …”seat”…!!!!

GOD…………I sure do pray for some “hot” seats for GRAHAM, SCOTT and CLYBURN…!!!

(Women and Kids are getting slaughtered in Syria and Iraq and Nigeria for STUPID …oil…..!! )

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Bryan Wqsc Crabtree October 7, 2014 at 1:47 pm

Realtors Political Action Bribery Committee
wants a guy to manage Charleston County Deeds and Mortgages who doesn’t
even own a property in the County: Make sense? http://www.thebryancrabtreeshow.com/why-are-politics-so-screwed-up-its-the-pac-man/

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