by ERIN PARROTT
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South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson announced this week that a statewide grand jury had returned multiple public corruption indictments against two former S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) employees accused of taking money from private contractors who received lucrative government work.
James Murray Cooper and Curtis Sims Jr. – both previously employed by SCDOT – face a combined seven criminal counts tied to alleged financial kickbacks connected to publicly funded projects in Richland County.
According to the indictments, Cooper – who served as a technical advisor and compliance manager within SCDOT’s Minority Small Business Affairs Office – unlawfully received thousands of dollars from a private contractor awarded millions in SCDOT contract work funded by taxpayers.
Cooper is charged with using his official position for financial gain and accepting rebates or extra compensation.
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In a separate but similar case, investigators allege Sims Jr. – formerly a training safety and security program manager in SCDOT’s Office of Public Transport – accepted thousands of dollars from another contractor that had received more than $1 million in public funds.
Sims faces more extensive charges, including:
- Use of official position for financial gain
- Three counts of acceptance of rebates or extra compensation
- Receiving something of value to influence a public official
The most serious of those charges carries with it a potential sentence of up to ten (10) years in prison.
Wilson framed the indictments as part of a broader effort to protect businesses competing for taxpayer-funded contracts.
“Today’s indictments send a message that all South Carolina businesses will compete for state contracts on equal grounds,” Wilson said. “We will continue to target the misuse of state funds and unlawful preferential treatment that harms honest South Carolina business owners and employees who play by the rules.”
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RELATED | DOGE AUDIT EXPOSES LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY AT SCDOT
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Authorities say the investigation involved coordination between the statewide grand jury, the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) and SCDOT leadership.
Prosecutors assigned to the case include senior assistant deputy attorney general Creighton Waters and assistant attorney general Walt Whitmire.
Public corruption cases tied to procurement and contracting have long been a pressure point for South Carolina government – particularly in agencies that distribute large infrastructure budgets. The allegations in this case center on whether state employees exploited their positions to steer – or reward – contract work in exchange for personal financial gain.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Cooper and Sims are considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as they may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against them.
Count on FITSNews for any updates pertaining to this case as they become available.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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5 comments
Is anyone actually surprised by this? They keep digging into our pockets for more money but yet our roads keep getting worse. Pay attention to the quality of paving work in recent years. It’s horrible! The money that should be spent on better quality materials and work is lining the pockets of corrupt officials.
Having worked at SCDOT main headquarters years ago, always heard on the grapevine about alleged unlawful activities.
And then, there were plenty of lazy non- productive employees. Typical for all state agencies.
Do we know who the Companies are who made the payments ?
Yes, who are the companies paying the bribes? Was their work ultimately professional or subpar?
Interesting how they did not name the Contractors involved and if guilty these Contractors should banned for life. The bigger story behind these indictments is that the SC Attorney General, Alan Wilson Supported a Brief in Federal Court to eliminate the SCDOT DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) program. This program supports socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses to compete for federally funded projects. There are 51,000 DBE businesses across the country that employ approximately 500,000 people.