SC Attorney General Urges Congress to Give States More Prosecutorial Power in Sex Trafficking and Internet Solicitation Crimes South Carolina’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Alan Wilson, is urging the US Congress to give states more power to prosecutor criminal sexual activity, including sex trafficking and internet solicitation, particularly regarding children. Wilson says he is joining with dozens of other chief prosecutors to urge Congress to amend the Communications Decency Act. The group says they want lawmakers to empower state and … [Read more...]
Give States More Power to Prosecute Sex Trafficking and Internet Solicitation, Says AG Wilson
Former Death Row Inmate Suing Prosecutors in Federal Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit
SC Man Who Was on Death Row for Decades Filed Federal Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit Against Prosecutors A man who spent decades on death row in South Carolina for a murder he did not commit has filed a federal wrongful conviction lawsuit against the prosecutors in the 1982 case that landed him in jail. Edward Lee Elmore was originally sentenced to death in the murder case of 75-year-old widow Dorothy Edwards, for whom he had done odd jobs. The body of Dorothy Edwards was found in a closet in her home, with multiple stab wounds, broken … [Read more...]
Former Security Official Charged with Wire Fraud in Lottery Scheme
Former Lottery Security Official Stole Winning Lottery Tickets, Pleaded Guilty to Wire Fraud Charges A former security official for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, July 11th, to wire fraud and money laundering charges. The defendant, who is from South Carolina, reportedly stole tens of thousands of dollars in winning lottery tickets. Remmele Mazyck, who is also a former employee of the South Carolina Education Lottery, served as the deputy director of security for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, … [Read more...]
Four Men Convicted in Federal Gun and Drug Charges Trial for Cocaine Armed Robbery
Federal Gun and Drug Charges Lead to Long Sentences for Four Columbia Men In the first week of July, four men from the Columbia, SC area were sentenced after they pled guilty to federal gun and drug charges, including conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of drugs with intent to distribute. They were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. 23-year-old Jacquan Olando Jones, 33-year-old Travis Howard, 23-year-old Vernon Davis and 26-year-old Eddie Wilbert Mobley were sentenced in federal court Wednesday, July 3rd. They pled guilty … [Read more...]
DEA Confiscates Digital Currency BitCoins After Drug Bust
BitCoins Taken in Federal Drug Bust In the first case of its kind, a Charleston man had his electronic currency, known as BitCoins, seized by federal authorities in relation to a drug bust in April. This is the first time ever that the federal government has seized, as an asset, electronic currency. The US Drug Enforcement Agency recently posted a forfeiture notice indicating that they had seized 11.02 BitCoins - $814 - from 31-year-old Eric Daniel Hughes, for allegedly violating the Controlled Substances Act. Hughes has not yet received … [Read more...]
Woman Receives Federal Sentence for Embezzling from Bank of America
Former Teller for Bank of America Sentenced for Embezzling $720,000 A woman from Mt. Pleasant, SC has been sentenced to one year in federal prison after she pled guilty to charges for embezzling $720,000 from her employer, Bank of America, over 15 years. Michele Gentry, 60 years old, should have been looking forward to retirement. Instead, the money she and her husband had saved will go to pay restitutions to Bank of America after it was discovered that she had been embezzling money from the Mt. Pleasant branch. According to prosecutors, … [Read more...]
Brett Parker Illegal Gambling Trial Postponed Until September
Illegal Gambling Trial for Elder and Junior Parker, Third Bookie, Postponed The federal trial for the illegal gambling rings run by Brett Parker, his father Jack Parker, and a third bookie have been postponed until September. According to reports, the change was requested due to a change in public defenders. Brett Parker, who was convicted with a life sentence for the double homicide of his wife, Tammy Jo Parker, and his best friend and business associate, Bryan Capnerhurst, has a public defender for the illegal gambling trial. In … [Read more...]
Securities Firm Investigation Turns Up New Federal Charges
Defendant in Securities Firm Investigation Receives New Federal Charges A Greenville-based attorney faces new federal charges related to the investigation of a South Carolina securities firm. On June 19th, the state grand jury indicted Frederick Scott Pfeiffer, the lawyer for former securities firm Capital Investment Funding, on one count each of conspiracy and forgery. He already faces federal charges for criminal conspiracy, five counts of securities fraud, forgery, perjury and false swearing for his alleged involvement in the business … [Read more...]
Jesse Jackson Jr Asks to Serve Sentence for Embezzlement First
After Embezzlement Ruling, Jackson Jr Asks to Serve Sentence Before Wife On Monday, June 17th, Jesse Jackson Jr asked a federal judge if he could serve his embezzlement prison sentence before his wife, Sandi, for the sake of their children. In February, the couple pled guilty to federal charges of embezzlement. Jackson and his wife took $750,000 from Jackson’s Congressional campaigns over seven years, and reportedly spent the money on living expenses and personal items including fur capes, elk heads, and stuffed animals. “For years I … [Read more...]
Boston Gangster Finally Going to Trial for Murder Charges
Notorious Gangster’s Trial for Decades of Murder Charges Begins Wednesday, June 12th, saw opening statements in the long-awaited trial against James “Whitey” Bulger, a mobster in Boston from the 1970’s to 1990’s, who spent decades hiding in California. He is going on trial on 19 total murder charges. The murder charges trial is expected to last for three months, and could reveal sensational details about the mob’s activities in Boston, as well as FBI corruption. According to investigators, Bulger rose to the top of the notorious Winter … [Read more...]