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A prominent Upstate South Carolina executive will be sentenced in federal court on Friday (February 28, 2025) – four months after signing a plea agreement with prosecutors related to “the improper personal misappropriation of assets” from his former company.
On September 17, 2024, Jody Gallagher – the former president and chief executive officer of AFL Global – was charged with three counts of wire fraud in connection with payments made to a builder for a home he was constructing on Kiawah Island.
Gallagher, 67, assumed the reins of AFL – a subsidiary of Japanese-owned Fujikura – in 2003. He was also a member of Fujikura’s board of directors, its first and only American member. Two years ago, Gallagher was named one of the fifty “most influential” businessmen in the Upstate, according to Greenville Business Magazine.
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According to the indictment (.pdf), between January 2021 and August of 2022 Gallagher “did knowingly devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain monies by means of false and fraudulent pretenses.”
Specifically, Gallagher “created a false business document” alleging that a company called EPIC Development Group “was serving as a consultant for AFL in the field (of) government contracts and optical infrastructure.”
“In truth, EPIC was a builder and was building a house for (Gallagher) on Kiawah Island,” the indictment alleged.
As work on his beach home progressed, Gallagher allegedly altered company invoices “to indicate that the recipient of the services was AFL and that the services involved consulting rather than construction.”
All told, Gallagher allegedly defrauded AFL of nearly $2.55 million in connection with the alleged scheme.
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RELATED | UPSTATE EXECUTIVE SCANDAL
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In November, Gallagher agreed to plea guilty to one count of wire fraud (.pdf). In exchange, he agreed to pay full restitution to all victims affected by his fraudulent actions. The exact amount will be determined by the court. As part of his plea agreement, Gallagher waived his right to appeal the conviction or sentence and while the government has agreed to drop any remaining charges against him at sentencing, the court may still consider them in determining his final sentence.
On January 14, 2025, attorneys representing Gallagher filed a motion for a downward variance in his sentence – arguing that a sentence without prison is justified. This despite federal sentencing guidelines which suggest a prison term of anywhere between 41 and 51 months (.pdf).
Gallagher’s former employer filed a victim impact statement indicating it is seeking restitution in the amount of $2,399,104.50 (.pdf). This statement noted the amount “does not cover all of the financial costs incurred but is directly related to the charged and relevant fraudulent conduct that was part of the scheme to defraud, as well as the investigative costs of the private investigator, the forensic accounting firm and the data recovery firm in Japan.”
News of Gallagher’s fraud was exclusively reported by FITSNews. Count on us to provide an update to this report when Gallagher receives his sentence.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
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