corruption

Former councilman Mike A. Brown pleads not guilty in a wide ranging, federal corruption investigation even as former, fellow councilmembers accept plea agreements in exchange for their cooperation.

Four people have pleaded guilty, four more will be arraigned in year-long corruption investigation the FBI says snared three North Charleston city councilmembers and their associates.

Federal authorities announce corruption charges against 8 people including 3 North Charleston city council members. The charges range from bribery to extortion.

The final two former South Carolina lawmakers charged in a nearly eight-year investigation into corruption at the Statehouse have avoided time behind bars. The State newspaper reports former Sen. John Courson was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service and once he finishes, his probation will end. The Columbia Republican pleaded guilty in 2018 to taking $159,000 from his campaign account and using for personal expenses on the advice of a prominent Republican political consultant at the center of the corruption investigation. Former Republican Rep. Tracy Edge of Myrtle Beach was ordered to pay a $500 fine after he pleaded guilty to failing to fully report his campaign finances.