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by ERIN PARROTT
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Just weeks after federal prosecutors unveiled a sweeping prison corruption case, the former South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) officer accused of accepting more than $550,000 in bribes to smuggle contraband into prison has admitted her role in the scheme.
On Tuesday (July 22, 2026), 52-year-old Lowanda Atkinson of Kershaw County pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Four of her alleged co-conspirators – Jason Brown, Adriana Conyers, Christopher Hickman and Mary Ann Hickman-Brown – also entered guilty pleas to the same charge.
According to federal prosecutors, Atkinson spent 16 years as a corrections officer assigned to Lee Correctional Institution, where she accepted more than $550,000 in bribes from Brown and Larry Williamson – both inmates at the facility – and several of Brown’s relatives and associates.
In exchange for this money, prosecutors said Atkinson repeatedly smuggled cell phones, phone accessories, tobacco products and controlled substances into the prison. Brown and Williamson allegedly sold the contraband to other inmates, splitting the proceeds with Atkinson.
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Rather than keeping a low profile, investigators said Atkinson used the illicit proceeds to fund an extravagant lifestyle, purchasing designer goods, plastic surgery and a luxury sport utility vehicle.
The guilty pleas mark another major development in a case federal authorities say exposed a lucrative contraband operation running inside one of South Carolina’s most notorious prisons.
Charges against two additional defendants remain pending. Courtney Briggs was arraigned earlier this month on conspiracy and honest services wire fraud charges, while Williamson is awaiting arraignment on a separate indictment charging him with conspiracy, multiple counts of honest services wire fraud, facilitating bribery through interstate communications and a federal drug conspiracy.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with SCDC to root out corruption within our correctional system, whether it originates inside the walls or through networks that support it from the outside,” said U.S. attorney Bryan Stirling, who led the state prison system from 2013-2025. “Atkinson’s scheme is an example of law enforcement corruption, and we will not tolerate that in South Carolina.”
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RELATED | OFFICER ACCUSED OF TAKING $550K IN BRIBES
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SCDC Director Joel Anderson said Atkinson betrayed the public’s trust by helping inmates obtain dangerous contraband.
“This person took advantage of the trust given to her and conspired with inmates and their families to flood our prison with deadly contraband,” Anderson said. “I’m glad they are all being held accountable for their crimes. Her conduct is not characteristic of our values or of the people who work in our department.”
Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon accepted the guilty pleas and will impose sentences after reviewing pre-sentence investigation reports prepared by the U.S. Probation Office (USPO).
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office (FBI) and the South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General (SCDCOIG). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Samantha Usher are prosecuting the case.
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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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