A third, former North Charleston city councilman will be arraigned in federal court in Charleston Tuesday, nearly two weeks after two others pleaded guilty for their roles in a wide-ranging corruption scheme.
Mike A. Brown
46-year-old Mike A. Brown is charged with soliciting and accepting bribes from a lobbyist in exchange for his vote to rezone property and make way for a boat manufacturer. If convicted, he faces 20 years behind bars.
Brown was suspended from council by the governor on Feb. 26th, shortly after his indictment. Fellow councilmembers Jerome Heyward and Sandino Moses immediately stepped down as part of their plea agreements.
In all, eight people have been charged following a year-long, FBI investigation that snared the three, now former councilmembers as well as five of their associates.
“These council members used their positions not to serve their community, but to enrich themselves,” acting U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews said when the charges were revealed.
Jerome Heyward
At the center of the probe is 61-year-old Jerome Heyward who authorities say took care of himself as the expense of people he was elected to represent.
He pleaded guilty Feb. 28th to 14 charges in three separate schemes involving conspiracy, bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering. The charges are spelled out in court documents dating back two years.
Authorities say the first scheme involved an unnamed businessman Heyward tried to swindle for money in exchange for action on city council. Instead, the man called the FBI. Agents then gave the man money to hire Heyward and listened in on phone calls as well as recorded conversations.
Wearing a blue, plaid suit, Heyward said little as he pleaded guilty before Judge Richard Gergel. His high-profile attorney, Andy Savage, stood by his side.
After the hearing, Savage told reporters what his client has done is awful.
“But he’s not the only one,” Savage said. “The people that you see here today are probably not the only ones involved.”
In a second scheme, authorities say Heyward conspired with fellow councilman Mike A. Brown and lobbyist Aaron Hicks to rezone property for a boat manufacturer.
The move was expected to be unpopular with residents. So, lobbyist Hicks says he was hired by the boat maker to promote the project and pleaded guilty to paying councilmen Heyward and Brown for their rezoning votes.
He says the boat company didn’t know about the payments and wiped away tears as he stood before Judge Richard Gergel.
“Well, you know, he’s processing it as a human being,” his attorney Brady Vannoy said after the plea hearing.
Sandino Moses
Councilman Sandino Moses pleaded guilty for his role as well, that is initially accepting money, then returning it, but not reporting the bribe to authorities. His attorney did not speak with reporters outside the federal courthouse in Charleston.
Authorities say the third scheme involved Heyward securing grants for non-profits, as the city tried to curb gun violence.
The founder of one of those nonprofits, Donavan Moten, admitted in federal court he gave Heyward money in exchange for the councilman’s help securing a 100-thousand-dollar grant.
“He trusted the wrong people,” his attorney Ted Corvey said.
“He trusted Jerome Heyward. He’s been a mentor of his and a friend for decades at this point, and he led him astray.”
The two former councilmen, non-profit founder and lobbyist who pleaded guilty will be sentenced at a later date and have promised to cooperate fully with authorities.
Former Councilman Brown and three other associates will be arraigned Tuesday with more details about their alleged involvement expected to emerge.
“For some public officials in North Charleston, there’s a long-standing expectation that you have to pay to play in so to speak,” said lead Prosecutor Emily Limehouse following the plea agreements.
“There’s a cost of doing business in North Charleston.”
Limehouse won’t say if more people will be indicted, only that the investigation is ongoing.
