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The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that a former South Carolina prison official has pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud conspiracy for her role in a bribery scheme at a Palmetto State correctional institution.
Christine Mary Livingston, 47, of Gaston, S.C., was a 16-year veteran of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC) at the time of her resignation in November 2021. Having attained the rank of captain, she was responsible for enforcing contraband policy and law, according to a federal news release.
From 2016 to 2021, Livingston served at the Broad River Correctional Institute (BRCI) – which prohibited her from “accepting bribes or anything of value to influence the exercise of her official responsibilities.”
During her tenure at the facility, however, Livingston allegedly accepted bribes from a least 45 prisoners and three family members of prisoners in exchange for smuggling contraband into BRCI between July 2018 and November 2021.

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Livingston operated at least 14 peer-to-peer payment accounts on platforms such as CashApp – were she used false names that were linked to her legitimate bank accounts.
During the investigation – led by the Columbia field office of the FBI and SCDC’s Office of Inspector General – it was revealed one of Livingston’s Cash App accounts received at least $279,000 in bribes, of which more than $225,000 was transferred to her personal bank accounts. Livingston then used the proceeds for personal enrichment including on shopping, ATM cash withdraws and the purchase of cryptocurrency.
According to federal prosecutors, Livingston allegedly used her personal Amazon account to purchase at least 173 cell phones, along with 130 SIM cards and phone accessories, headphones, screen protectors and phone chargers.
Records obtained from Facebook – and from contraband phones recovered by SCDC – confirmed the bribery scheme. It was also noted at least eight witnesses were prepared to testify against Livingston at trial – including family members of prisoners.
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“Livingston used her position and rank for personal, criminal gain which endangered other staff members and those housed at Broad River Correctional Institute,” U.S. attorney Adair Ford Boroughs said. “We will continue to work with SCDC to prosecute those who commit crimes within prison walls.”
A co-defendant and prisoner responsible for paying more than $42,000 in bribes to Livingston – was recently sentenced to 60 months imprisonment by U.S. district court judge Sherri A. Lydon. The imprisonment of this co-defendant – Jerell Reeves – is expected to be followed by three years of supervised release.
As for Livingston, she faces up to twenty years in federal prison – with the government agreeing to recommend up to eight years as a part of her plea agreement – to be followed by court ordered supervision, $250,000 in monetary penalties and forfeiture of assets including up to the full value of the bribes.
Livingston is scheduled to be sentenced by Lydon on June 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
Assistant U.S. attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Michael Shedd handled the case for DOJ.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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2 comments
What a loser.
How about a photo or mugshot of the ex captain Livingston?