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by JENN WOOD
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When Oconee County Council chairman Matthew Durham first began questioning a proposed 5,200-unit development near Newry Mill, he wasn’t looking for controversy — but what he found has now placed Clemson University, its leaders, and one of the school’s largest donors at the center of a widening ethics storm.
In a FITSNews in-studio interview this week, Durham detailed how a series of public records, flight manifests, and developer filings exposed previously undisclosed ties between the university and United Homes Group (UHG), the home-building company chaired by Clemson benefactor Michael Nieri.
“We didn’t go looking for it,” Durham said. “It just fell in our lap. We put out some information, and Clemson and United Homes Group responded with statements that weren’t true. So we started digging — and all of this is publicly available.”
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A DEVELOPMENT TOO BIG TO IGNORE
The conflict began when UHG representatives sought county approval for a sprawling “planned development district” that would have required new zoning rules and density exceptions.
“Five thousand homes would’ve been larger than our biggest municipality,” Durham said. “When we told them we wouldn’t bend on density standards, they sent a letter threatening a media campaign, political action, and legal action. We don’t take kindly to threats — so we let the public see the letter.”
Shortly afterward, Durham received an email from a citizen pointing out that UHG’s board included Clemson president James P. Clements and trustee Nikki Haley — both compensated directors — and that Nieri was a major Clemson donor with multiple campus buildings bearing his name.
“That’s when we realized this wasn’t just a local development issue,” Durham said. “Clemson publicly denied any connection to UHG, even though we had been dealing directly with their executives. That denial made us start connecting more dots.”
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THE PRIVATE JET CONNECTION
Those dots ultimately led to a January 2024 private-jet trip to Purdue University — a trip that has become a flashpoint in the ongoing investigation.
Durham said he discovered the flight by chance, after a county employee mentioned it during a conversation at a community event. The plane — registered to UHG’s corporate address — carried Clemson University’s chief financial officer Rick Petillo and two other senior university officials, alongside Nieri and developer Mark Hart.
The flight manifest originally listed Oconee County administrator Amanda Brock, but she claimed to have sent another county employee in her place. Brock has since been terminated from her position after allegedly lying about her connection to the flight.
“We verified the manifest and itinerary through text messages and flight logs,” Durham explained. “It confirmed that Clemson’s leadership and UHG executives flew together to Purdue to tour a university-affiliated research park — a model they wanted to replicate here.”
When confronted, Clemson acknowledged the trip but described it as “a routine review” — an explanation Durham called “nonsense.”
“If it was routine, why was it hidden?” he asked. “There are invoices, emails, and planning documents that contradict their denials. The question now is how much this relationship has influenced Clemson’s expansion decisions and the development boom surrounding it.”
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THE BROADER WEB
Durham has since uncovered multiple properties across Pickens, Oconee, and Anderson counties connected to UHG subsidiaries such as Great Southern Homes and Two Blue Stallions LLC — including recently approved student-housing complexes near downtown Clemson.
“These companies share addresses, officers, and sometimes even project names,” Durham said. “The deeper you go, the more it looks like an interconnected web between private development and public influence.”
Clemson’s denials, he added, only intensified scrutiny: “Why would the university move so quickly to distance itself from a developer unless there was something it didn’t want the public to see?”
The revelations have reignited debate over Clemson’s governance structure — particularly its constitutionally questionable system of lifetime trusteeships.
“This is exactly why lifetime appointments are dangerous,” Durham said. “When you believe you’re untouchable, accountability goes out the window. This isn’t complicated — it’s a matter of public trust.”
He also noted that several student-housing projects in Oconee County appear to benefit from Clemson’s growth, raising questions about whether university leaders serving on developer boards have profited from that expansion.
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CALLING FOR STATE OVERSIGHT
Durham has formally requested that South Carolina Senate president Thomas Alexander refer the matter to the Senate Oversight Committee. He believes the state — not local officials — has the authority to untangle the conflicts between Clemson, its foundation, and its development partners.
“County councils can only go so far,” he said. “The university takes state tax dollars. That means the state owes citizens oversight.”
If the Senate declines to act, Durham said he will continue his own investigation — and he called on the Attorney General’s office to review potential conflicts and disclosures.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” he added. “I think we’re on the tip of an iceberg — and I don’t know yet what’s underneath it.”
The fallout from Durham’s findings has already been felt: within days of Oconee County sending its transparency letters to Clemson and the state Senate, every member of UHG’s board resigned — except for Nieri. The company’s stock has since plummeted by more than 50 percent.
Meanwhile, FITSNews has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests seeking records from Clemson University and the Clemson University Foundation related to the 2017 Bentbrook Lane land transfer to Nieri and the 2024 Purdue University trip. Those responses — or the lack thereof — will help determine how deep this network of development and influence runs.
“Let’s begin by getting the whole truth on the table,” Durham said. “Then we can talk about what accountability looks like.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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