COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – A special prosecutor who pursued public corruption cases against several South Carolina politicians handed his number of remaining cases to state attorney general Alan Wilson on Wednesday.
In a letter to Wilson, attorney David Pascoe wrote that the “procedural confusion” generated by a South Carolina Supreme Court decision that overturned one of his convictions led to the suspension of the investigation, reported The State newspaper.
In January, a divided South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Pascoe – appointed by Wilson as a special prosecutor in 2014 – had extrapolated his authority, saying that the lawyer had only legal jurisdiction to prosecute some, but not all, of the legislators against whom brought charges.
In that ruling, the court rejected a conviction for impropriety in office, but maintained an 18-month prison sentence for former deputy Jim Harrison, who appealed the 2018 convictions for misconduct in office and perjury.
The investigation began seven years ago as an investigation into former Mayor Bobby Harrell, spending campaign money on personal expenses.
The investigation then found political adviser Richard Quinn Sr. and his son, former deputy Richard Quinn Jr., who caught more than $ 4 million from lobbyists to illegally influence lawmakers.
Quinn Jr., who was already a majority leader in the House, pleaded guilty and the investigation at his company led to criminal charges against former deputy Jim Merrill, who took Quinn’s place as the majority leader. Both received parole.
Former state senator John Courson also pleaded guilty to using Quinn’s consulting firm to convert campaign contributions into cash for himself. He’s awaiting sentencing. The remaining cases being returned to Wilson also include Quinn Sr., awaiting trial on charges of perjury, and former state deputy Tracy Edge, accused of misconduct and perjury.
All convicted lawmakers are Republicans. Harrison was the only one to be tried.
Attorney General Wilson initially stepped down when the investigation involved only Harrell, Quinn and Merrill, citing a conflict of interest as Quinn’s company was a political adviser to Wilson when he was first elected in 2010.
When Pascoe expanded the investigation to more lawmakers, Wilson objected. He said he did not give permission for this. The Supreme Court agreed.
A spokesman for Wilson said the attorney general will decide “the best course of action to ensure that justice is done” after motions related to the higher court’s decision are resolved.