South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday dismissed the head of the State Accident Fund, asking for an investigation into whether she wrongly directed a $ 600,000 government contract to her husband’s company.
In a letter, McMaster asked State Inspector General Brian Lamkin to “conduct a full investigation to determine whether criminal violations of state law occurred,” writing that his office was informed in January of allegations that Amy Cofield’s agency had hired his husband, Jimmy Terrapin, as a contractor.
Cofield has led the agency responsible for occupational accident insurance for nearly 200,000 employees in the state since McMaster appointed her in 2019. She confirmed the deal – which provides for her husband to work nearly 40 hours a week at $ 150 an hour for the next two years, or about $ 300,000 a year – when questioned by McMaster’s lawyer, the governor wrote.
“These acquisition actions raise significant ethical and legal issues about the conduct of State Accident Fund employees,” McMaster said in a statement.
Last year, the fund sought help from a consultant to select and implement a new software program to deal with a case management system. But Cofield said that no one responded to an initial request for offers. Cofield told the media that she knew her husband could do the job and assumed it would be a conflict of interest to hire him, with the process only continuing after approval by purchasing officials.
“I would never, never, never, never have done anything wrong and compromised this work,” Cofield told The State. “I love this job.”
Cofield told the media that she was shocked by the removal, suggesting that a disgruntled employee had reported her and denounced the deal, which she said was sanctioned by purchasing officials.
Cofield claimed that Tommy Windsor, a former McMaster adviser and now director of government affairs for the fund, was denied his job as chief of staff and chose to take revenge on her by reporting the situation to the governor.
“I know he was crazy,” Cofield told the Post and Courier. “I am not happy with your lack of loyalty.
A McMaster spokesman did not comment on Windsor or informed the governor’s office about the contract. Windsor did not respond to messages on Monday.
McMaster and Windsor have a long history. In 2003, then Attorney General McMaster rehired Windsor as a special investigator, seven years after Windsor’s resignation for sending a derogatory email. At the time, McMaster called Windsor’s previous lawsuit “a stupid mistake” that was intended to be a satirical joke.
The governor said on Monday that Erin Farthing, the agency’s chief adviser, will serve as an interim director until a permanent replacement is appointed and confirmed by the state Senate.
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