Investigators with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are probing alleged “irregularities” within the Palmetto State’s fifth circuit solicitor’s office, multiple sources familiar with the situation told our news outlet over the weekend.
Wait … isn’t this the same office whose last elected leader was brought down on criminal corruption charges?
Yes … it is.
Former S.C. fifth circuit solicitor Dan Johnson is currently serving a one-year sentence in federal prison for misappropriating funds from his office budget.
Apparently the old Shakespearean adage “what’s past is prologue” applies quite literally when it comes to this office.
According to our sources, the latest scandal went down within the office’s expungement division – which is headed up by Norman S. Jackson, Jr., son of the former Richland county councilman (who, ironically, was under a SLED investigation last spring).
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(Via: Provided)
Jackson Jr. (above) recently fired an employee who has since been accused of ripping off citizens “trying to exercise their expungement rights.”
The alleged scam reportedly dates back more than three years and involves – at the very least – “tens of thousands of dollars.”
This news outlet has been provided with a general outline of the alleged scam, although we have yet to corroborate specific details. Similarly, we have been unable to obtain a firm accounting of the amounts involved – although one source inside the fifth circuit solicitor’s office told us it involved “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“We are conducting an investigation of allegations involving a former employee of the solicitor’s office,” SLED spokesman Thom Berry told us. “As our work is still underway, it would be inappropriate to discuss specific details or amounts at this time.”
Since January 2019, the fifth circuit office has been led by Byron Gipson – who decisively defeated Johnson in the 2018 Democratic primary election. Gipson has received poor marks during his first eight months in office, although he has reportedly been dealing with some serious health issues.
Developing …
-FITSNews
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