Governor suspends Union County supervisor

Governor Mark Sanford has suspended Union County Supervisor Donnie Betenbaugh. The order states an officer of a political subdivision of the State who has been indicted by a grand jury for a crime involving moreal turpitude may be suspended by the Governor until acquitted.

Union County Supervisor Donald R. Betenbaugh and former Union County Tax Assessor Willie E. Randall, Jr., were named in a 40-count indictment. 

Both men were charged in the Indictment’s first 15 counts with conspiracy, extortion, soliciting and accepting bribes, money laundering, structuring financial transactions to evade federal reporting requirements, and knowingly allowing the Union County Tax Assessor’s Office to be used as a “stash house” for the storage and distribution of cocaine and hydrocodone.

Betenbaugh is also charged in 25 additional counts with witness tampering, lying to federal agents, misprision of a felony, obstruction of justice, and illegally distributing Lorazepam, a schedule IV controlled substance.

The U.S. Attorney says If convicted on all counts, Betenbaugh faces a maximum possible sentence of 618 years in federal prison and a fine of $13 million dollars. The judge granted him a $45,000 bond, and he’s under a 8:30pm curfew. His lawyer Greg Harris said his client will be cleared and they look forward to their day in court. 

Randall Jr., faces a maximum possible sentence of 190 years in federal prison and a fine of $5.25 million dollars. The judge grated him a $10,000 bond and an 8:30 p.m. Curfew.

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Former Union County Sheriff Howard Wells is one of five people who have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges ranging from public corruption to drug distribution.

US Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated Monday that Wells has been charged with lying to federal investigators and witness tampering. Wilkins says the indictment “is the result of an investigation into sizable loans allegedly made by Wells to an individual, resulting in significant interest income to the former sheriff.“

The indictment also charges that this past April, Wells engaged in witness tampering by corruptly persuading an individual identified in the indictment as “J.G.“ to mislead federal investigators and to induce J.G. to “alter, destroy, mutilate and conceal an object with intent to impair the object’s integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding.“

If convicted on all counts, Wells faces a maximum possible sentence of 45 years in federal prison and a $750,000 fine according to the U.S. Attorney.

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Randall, Jr., was also named in a separate indictment, along with Union County resident Lapriest Darnell Beacham.  Both men are charged with conspiracy since 2007 to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. Randall is represented by a public defender who said that his client tested positive for cocaine this morning.

The Judge says if he tests positive again bond will revoked.

Beacham was granted a $5,000 bond.

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Union County resident Willard Dee Farr was charged in a three-count indictment with conspiracy to commit extortion, aiding and abetting former City of Union Mayor E. Bruce Morgan and former City of Union Building and Zoning director Jeffrey Lawson to extort money from contractors seeking to do business with the City of Union, and lying to federal investigators.

Farr was granted a $10,000 bond.

Morgan and Lawson have already pled guilty and were sentenced to federal prison earlier this year.

Union Mayor Harold Thompson wants polics cleaned up in the county. “We in these positions, we have to be straight forward and do what’s right. A lot of times there’s a lot of pressure out there and people will try to mislead you into doing something other than what’s right”, he said to News Channel 7 Monday night.

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Here is the full text of the news release from the U.S. Attorney on Monday’s indictments:

MORE FEDERAL INDICTMENTS IN UNION CORRUPTION PROBE

Former Sheriff Howard Wells, County Supervisor Donald Betenbaugh, Former County Tax Assessor Willie Randall among those Indicted

    Columbia, South Carolina——United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated today that a federal grand jury has issued four separate indictments naming five Union County residents on charges ranging from public corruption to drug distribution.  The indictments were unsealed today in federal court in Greenville, and charge as follows: 

    (1) Former Union County Sheriff Wesley Howard Wells was named in a three-count indictment, charging him with lying to federal investigators and witness tampering.  The indictment is the result of an investigation into sizable loans allegedly made by Wells to an individual, resulting in significant interest income to Wells.  The indictment charges that in March 2009, Wells “made false statements to federal law enforcement agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning his involvement in concealing his receipt of taxable interest income and the existence of documents acknowledging the same.”  The indictment also charges that in April 2009, Wells engaged in witness tampering by corruptly persuading an individual identified in the indictment as “J.G.” to mislead federal investigators and to induce J.G. to “alter, destroy, mutilate and conceal an object with intent to impair the object’s integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding.”

    If convicted on all counts, Wells faces a maximum possible sentence of 45 years in federal prison and a $750,000.00 fine.

    (2) Union County Supervisor Donald R. Betenbaugh and former Union County Tax Assessor Willie E. Randall, Jr., were named in a 40-count indictment.  Both men were charged in the Indictment’s first 15 counts with conspiracy, extortion, soliciting and accepting bribes, money laundering, structuring financial transactions to evade federal reporting requirements, and knowingly allowing the Union County Tax Assessor’s Office to be used as a “stash house” for the storage and distribution of cocaine and hydrocodone.  Betenbaugh, an elected official, is also charged in 25 additional counts with witness tampering, lying to federal agents, misprision of a felony, obstruction of justice, and illegally distributing Lorazepam, a schedule IV controlled substance.

If convicted on all counts, Betenbaugh faces a maximum possible sentence of 618 years in federal prison and a fine of $13 million dollars.  Randall faces a maximum possible sentence of 190 years in federal prison and a fine of $5.25 million dollars.

(3) Former Union County Tax Assessor Willie E. Randall, Jr., was also named in a separate indictment, along with Union County resident Lapriest Darnell Beacham.  Both men are charged with conspiracy since 2007 to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine.  Beacham is also charged with three additional counts for distributing cocaine last February.

If convicted on this separate indictment, Randall faces an additional maximum possible sentence of 40 years in federal prison with a mandatory minimum of five years, and a fine of $2 million dollars.  Beacham faces a maximum possible sentence of 100 years in federal prison, and a fine of $8 million dollars.

(4) Union County resident Willard Dee Farr was charged in a three-count indictment with conspiracy to commit extortion, aiding and abetting former City of Union Mayor E. Bruce Morgan and former City of Union Building and Zoning director Jeffrey Lawson to extort money from contractors seeking to do business with the City of Union, and lying to federal investigators.  Morgan and Lawson have already pled guilty and were sentenced to federal prison earlier this year.

If convicted on all counts, Farr faces a maximum possible sentence of 45 years in federal prison and a fine of $750,000.00.

All five defendants are expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Greenville today at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. Wilkins stated that the case was investigated by agents of the FBI, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, and SLED, and that he has assigned the case to Assistant United States Attorneys Mark C. Moore, Nancy Wicker, and J.D. Rowell of the Columbia office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these Indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.