US EditionEx-South Carolina sheriff to plead guilty to drug-related crimes and stealing from benevolence fund
Chuck Wright admitted stealing $80,000 from a fund for deputies and diverting painkillers due to addiction, facing nearly 30 years in prison and $440,000 restitution.
- At the federal courthouse in Anderson, former Spartanburg Sheriff Wright pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to commit theft, wire fraud, and obtaining controlled substances.
- Battling opioid addiction, Wright diverted pills from a pill take-back program and used the benevolence fund and a blank check to buy oxycodone and hydrocodone, keeping close to 150 pills he offered to dispose.
- Court records show he siphoned money from the benevolence fund and spent more than $50,000 in disputed charges, including over $1,300 at Apple’s app store and almost $1,600 for Sirius/XM radio.
- Wright faces up to 20 years in prison and fines, must pay at least $440,000 in restitution, and a sentencing date is not set; he was granted a $25,000 unsecured bond and ordered into a substance abuse program.
- Wright's case adds to a string of sheriff convictions in South Carolina as he is the 12th sheriff in 15 years to plead guilty; co-defendants Amos Durham and Lawson Berry 'LB' Watson also pleaded guilty, and Wright resigned with remorse statements.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Former Spartanburg County sheriff pleads guilty in federal corruption case
SPARTANBURG—Chuck Wright, the former sheriff of Spartanburg County, entered a guilty plea on Thursday, October 30, admitting his involvement in a public corruption scheme that defrauded the county and exploited a benevolence fund meant to assist law enforcement officers during difficult times. Wright pleaded guilty to three federal charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation, and conspiracy to …
After 13 months of silence, ex-Spartanburg Sheriff Chuck Wright acknowledges guilt, addiction, broken trust
The former sheriff admitted he broke the law, said he was getting treatment for drug addiction and knows he broke the trust of Spartanburg County residents.
Ex-South Carolina sheriff pleads guilty to drug-related crimes and stealing from benevolence fund
ANDERSON, S.C. — A former South Carolina sheriff pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges that he helped steal about $80,000 from his force's benevolence fund and took pain medication that was supposed to be destroyed as part of a pill…
Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright pleads guilty to federal crimes; issues letter of apology
Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright released a statement after pleading guilty to federal charges saying, "I pleaded guilty in federal court because I am guilty."
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