Former Union Co. Sheriff Howard Wells Among 5 Indicted
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Union Corruption Case
Union Corruption Case
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Published: October 6, 2009
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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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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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.
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Reader Reactions
It is truly amazing to see so-called Christians so ready to give a free pass to betrayers of the public trust.
The scripture says faith without works is dead (James 2:20).
For Pass the Word, to claim belief in the scripture is one thing, and to practice it another, that is true. That is why you should be more careful to understand your scripture before you start casting stones at others. Perhaps you should do well to heed your own, and Christ’s, advice in that regard. Note, though, that Christ offered other advice: “Go, and sin no more.“ (John 8:11)
Although any of us could be in their shoes if we also chose to betray the trust others have in us, the inescapable fact is that we DIDN’T. People DO hold office who DO NOT abuse their positions. It’s not only possible, but common. The argument that they COULD HAVE also chosen to be criminals is just one more argument against the actions of Wells, Betenbaugh, and Co. should they be found guilty. Other people who have had the same choices did not succumb to temptation.
These men need forgiveness, true. And God will forgive any sin, and will allow their souls to rest easy in Heaven. However, that is not a free pass to sin, nor is it a license to avoid punishment for violations of the law. but laws are made by Man, and breaking them has consequences. “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” doesn’t apply merely to taxes, but more broadly to any obligation of the Earthly realm; such as the obligation of a citizen to uphold the laws of the land, or the obligation of a public official not to abuse his position of trust. “That which is Caesar’s” in the wake of criminal action is restitution and/or incarceration: it is to pay for the crime. That is a very different thing from the salvation of their souls, and it is Right and proper to hold that a man can be forgiven AND held accountable for his actions.
first off,why do the families need to be forgiven?the families havent done anything that we know of but these crooks have,god will forgive them but union county citizens should not,how much damage has these people caused selling out union and selling drugs to your families only careing about one thing if your son,daughters etc.had the price of a good time to buy their drugs to line their pockets,how much do you think they cared,your forgive them attitude and your chance to preach a sermon is what will keep union under the thumb of the same type of backward politics it always has had,cant you people see that you need to punish these and all the crooks as severly as you can to try and stop more from coming your way,in union its be crooked,get rich,get caught,say im sorry the lord has forgiven me and walk away still rich and you look like dopes for letting it happen,the lord will forgive but crimes should be punished and never forgotten,as far believing yes i do,as far as trying to act like i am something that i am not i do not do this dont put on aires on sunday just to fool the public,relax preacher the attendance will not go down in union it should have risen since this happened so all the good old boys can find out whats being said and start getting set up for your support should they be found out during the investigation so yall can vouch for them.you will no doubt reply with some sort of sermon as to how i am some type of sinner so let me first just say yes i am, have used foul language,havent went to church as i should have i dont guess,have lusted for other women and had a few,kinda like wells, done it all except i never sold drugs,never have taken anything that wasnt mine bought with my hard earned money never physically hurt another person so go on defending him,say something bad about me and then preach to the other union puppets about what they should and should not do,to believe in god and to accept him in your heart,to give your soul to him does not mean to blindly follow the one that talks the best or hollows the loudest in church,how many of you so called preachers in union that will do as he should and admit to all everything he has done,oh forgot the hide it clause thats between him and god,well if he leads the flock needs to know everything about who they are following,i will be waiting on your next sermon
It is truly amazing to see all the so-called Christians gloating at the demise of a fellow man.
The scripture says take heed lest you fall.
These men and their families need prayer and forgiveness. Pray they see thier error and have the remorse to change. The truth will be known and they will have to pay the consequences and rightfully so.
However, if it weren’t but for a few choices, any of us could be in their shoes.
For Happy and others, to claim belief in the scripture in one thing to practice it another. Therein is the proof of your belief. Your words betray themselves.
Name calling proves you have nothing to say and the use of profanity reveals your ignorance of the english language.
Christ said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.“
sorry i forgot to ask did howard give you the name sweetmeat or was that given to you by some of his friends,oh well doesnt matter,you from union its probably a common nick name here for the wells crowd
oh my,that was so touching you have to be a family member or one of the ladies in waiting that howard seemed to know,yeah he was elected by people that could not see through the bull——,wells was and still is a snake and you dumba——dont see through it yet,just what did he do for union except replace the windows in his car that got broken out because of another woman at his expense or so he says,he solved one high profile case(smith)and then talked all nice about her)and then the jury didnt do what should have been done?ask yourself where did he get all that cash to loan someone?why has there been more drug bust in union and more robberies solved in union since he left than in the prior year or so before he left,why did you never see or hear about him going on any of the bust himself like you see the sheriff doing now,wells was crooked,i bet he had his hand in the drugs in the court house from the beginning,he lived way above his means as a sheriff,thought he was a ladies man,well i guess he was he did get around to a lot of the union and spartanburg ladies and you will let it all slide because he will go to church tomorrow and say i have changed forgive me and all the while be thinking dam i am so much smarter than the dumba——,maybe he is just forget about
if howard wells was such a bad person i don’t think he would have made office just remember that the people in union voted him in. so howard we (your family and friends) love and will always be right behind u in good and bad we all love ya god bless
is glad 2 c stuff finally gettin done, but dont stop in union, go all over union county. jonesville 2 be exact. alot of cleaning out needs 2 b done here also. i mean where is the justice @ when a police officer can strip search u in public, or your kids can go to the town coucilmens house and be served beer by an on duty police officer and have sex with adults all around knowing everything and saying nothing. oh but it is only illegal when you get caught though aint that right mr councelman. yea union county has went way under.
lilmiss and lisa248: gee thanks for helping us write our posts. Your editorial opinions are invaluable.
Well, Well, Well, It’s about time. And for all the people who “thought” Wells and the others were good men, you are a very bad judge of character or not from Union. These men live lifestyles that do not comply with their incomes. These men are not the only crooks in Union, this has been going on for Y-E-A-R-S. Look at who the sheriff was before Wells…..his brother-in-law. And take a look where all the money came from for Taylor’s campaign, Willard Farr. Union people are not stupid, we know what’s going on. We alone cannot run these crooks out-of-town when this has been going on for decades. What city elects their county supervisor anyway?????? And What city doesn’t make state employees take random drug tests???? The only reason this all came about was over the new Union signs….someone who made the large ones were from out-of-town and wouldn’t pay the toll after he got the job. The people who are superior to Wells, Randall and Donnie are the people that need to be waking up! Union residents are the victims.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha only in union will people be saying pray for them instead of they should get what they deserve are you people so blind that that is your only response to something like this you can come up with no wonder union is so messed up the good old boys can do anything they want and if caught then say im sorry i lost my way it was wrong i have seen the light and wont do it again and never pay the price,well that is part of the problem in union wake up people did these people not attend church with you on sunday and then leave to go about their way and keep on doing their business as usual?sure they will say i repent when they get caught to get the bleeding hearts to let them go but think people look what they have been doing,selling drugs to your children,grand children,sisters,brothers,how many families have been ruined by what they have been doing and they didnt care as long as they got richer,wake up union,there are more there that havent been caught yet,when they do put them away for as long as possible for what them have done to destroy the lives of others just to make themselves rich,you really think they care about anything except the all mighty dollar and the power it brings them,but this is union after all sentence them to church on sunday and some community service and a promise that they wont do it again and all will be forgiven,only in union,oh by the way yes i do believe in god and the writings of the bible but also in an eye for an eye and justice should be served to each and everyone on an equal basis period
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