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Disgraced former Spartanburg County sheriff Chuck Wright, who self-surrendered to federal prison last Tuesday to begin serving a 41-month sentence, has finally resolved the state ethics case that had trailed him for more than two years.
In two consent orders (.pdf, .pdf) entered by the South Carolina State Ethics Commission (SCSEC), Wright admitted to violating 64 violations of the state Ethics Act, spanning both the nepotistic hiring of his son, Jared “Andy” Wright, and for his own years-long abuse of a taxpayer-funded credit card.
For those keeping count, the SCSEC opted not to pursue one of Wright’s original 65 charges.
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Both consent orders were signed by Wright and his attorney in the matter, former SCSO captain turned criminal defense attorney Steve Denton. The filings weren’t entered, however, until Aug. 12, the day after Wright was booked into Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Lewisburg, a medium-security prison in central Pennsylvania
As for the price tag on Wright’s ethics confessions, the scandal-scarred lawman was ordered to pay $15,792.81 in restitution tied to the abuse of his county credit card. More consequentially, he was ordered to pay $32,293.06 in restitution for deputizing his son.
Wright was further ordered to pay a $2,000 civil penalty and a combined $5,900 in administrative fees.
All told, Wright owes $55,985.87, which the Commission made clear is due within one year of his “release from confinement” at FCI Lewisburg.
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RELATED | INSIDE THE STATES ABANDONED CASE AGAINS EX-SHERIFF CHUCK WRIGHT
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Following his release from prison, Wright will also owe $462,866.06 in federal restitution tied to three federal public corruption charges.
That restitution was handed down alongside his prison sentence on July 7 — the product of a scheme that included Wright obtaining some 147 painkillers through misrepresentation, stealing some $89,000 from a Sheriff’s Office benevolence fund intended for deputies in times of hardship, and paying his cousin some $200,000 in taxpayer funds for what authorities call a “no-show job.”
Tallying both his state and federal obligations, Wright is facing at least $518,851.93 in combined debt upon his return to South Carolina.
Wright’s ethics admission also reaffirms an earlier FITSNews report indicating he lied to a federal agent about the nature of his credit card purchases — which is by itself a federal offense he was not charged with.
This story may be updated…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy Award–winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. He joined FITSNews in 2023 after leaving an NBC affiliate, where he served as on-air talent. His reporting focuses on public corruption in South Carolina, with an emphasis on law enforcement misconduct and abuse of power.