Two Federal Plea Deals, Horrific New Allegations, S.C. Election Commission Kink – Week In Review 9/27/2025

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by WILL FOLKS

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It was another huge week of breaking news at FITSNews with plea deals entered in connection with two major federal investigations we have been leading the coverage on… contrary to some belated back-patting by the asleep at the wheel mainstream media.

First, the spectacular implosion of former Spartanburg County sheriff Chuck Wright reached its first major inflection point with Wright’s decision to plead guilty to a trio of federal charges. Wright and two co-conspirators Amos Durham and Lawson B. Watson all pleaded guilty to a variety of charges related to Wright’s now-collapsed, corrupt empire. 

Our Andy Fancher has led the coverage of Wright’s fall from grace – just as he has led the coverage of former South Carolina representative Robert John “RJ” May III descent into disgrace. This week, May shocked political observers by deciding to plead guilty to five counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials – a decision reached less than 48 hours after he had been battling in court over motions related to his upcoming trial.

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In other news, Dylan Nolan and I delved into the alleged depravity of suspended S.C. judge James B. “Skip” Gosnell – whose child sex abuse materials case took a sinister turn when federal prosecutors detailed the initial results of their investigation into the veteran magistrate.

Dylan and I also recapped an insane week at the S.C. State Election Commission (SCVotes.gov) – including some wild allegations involving the agency’s former executive director, Howie Knapp, and its former deputy director, Paige Salonich. 

Once again, our sincerest thanks to everyone who watched this week’s program. And please remember – your support drives absolutely everything we do at FITSNews. The lights, the cameras, the accountability … all of it is a direct result of your subscriptions. So, if you value the sort of independent, unapologetic coverage we provide – please help us out and consider subscribing today!

Oh, and if you are already a subscriber, please consider gifting a subscription to a spouse, family member, friend or co-worker. Again, your subscriptions make our entire enterprise possible…  

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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