A South Carolina sheriff faces a long time in jail after he was caught blowing hundreds in taxpayer funds on cigarettes, quick meals, web video games and ache drugs.
Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, 60, admitted Thursday to utilizing a county-provided bank card to fund a miserable years-long spending spree, KCRG reported.
That included shopping for practically 100 packs of cigarettes at Greenback Common, and $1,300 in app retailer cellphone video games like “Ramp Automotive Leaping,” “Huntwise” and “Royal Match.”
He additionally blew $5,000 at eating places like Fuddruckers and Chik-fil-A, together with purchases at Finest Purchase, CVS Pharmacy and Sirius XM radio.
In whole, Wright spent greater than $50,000 in taxpayer funds on frivolous private bills between 2017 and 2024, the Submit and Courier reported.
However worst of all, Wright and a person he employed — Lawson B. Watson, 63 — labored collectively to steal not less than $80,000 from the sheriff’s workplace Benevolence Fund, which was meant to help the county’s cops.
He additionally used clean checks from the Benevolence Fund to pay a drug seller for painkillers — and even stored and consumed about 150 drugs given to police as a part of a drugs disposal program.
“Combating corruption is what we should always do in legislation enforcement,” stated US Legal professional for the District of South Carolina Bryan Stirling exterior court docket after Wright pleaded responsible.
“Nothing makes a legislation enforcement officer madder than seeing police cross the road,” he added.
Wright stated there have been no excuses for his abuses of energy.
“I squandered that dream job by means of my actions and for that I merely ask that the folks of Spartanburg and my brothers and sisters in legislation enforcement forgive me,” the ex-sheriff stated in court docket.
He pleaded responsible to quite a few federal corruption and wire fraud costs, and faces upwards of 20 years in federal jail.
Wright may additionally owe tons of of hundreds of {dollars} in restitution.
With Submit wires
