Man, woman connected to Richland’s Sun Splash Festival in trouble with the law

A Richland County woman has been charged by the State Grand Jury with five counts of perjury for lying to county officials about how she spent money awarded to an organization she controls.

And a Columbia restaurant owner connected to the organization is now facing federal gun charges.

Patricia Ford provided phony documentation to Richland County as proof she was spending $28,429 in county hospitality tax dollars to attract tourists, according to the indictment handed down March 16.

Instead, she was pocketing the money herself, the indictment said.

Ford is CEO of SCALE, an organization she initially described to county officials as an educational nonprofit.

According to the indictments, Ford, between June 22, 2014, and June 30, 2016, acquired cashier’s checks worth a total of $28,429, supposedly to pay five groups or individuals to provide entertainment or a service. The indictment alleges that Ford, in each case, waited a day or more after acquiring the check, then redeposited it into a SCALE bank account she controlled.

It was unclear Wednesday whether additional charges could be filed.

The State newspaper reported in November that SCALE had received $130,000 since 2015 in county hospitality tax, or H-tax, money.

But the paper also reported that the group had scheduled few events, activities or outreach, with the exception of the Carolina Sun Splash Festival, a Jamaican-themed reggae concert held in Columbia in the spring for the past several years.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, acting U.S. Attorney Beth Drake said Columbia restaurant owner Nigel Michael Sandiford, whose restaurant has coordinated the Carolina Sun Splash Festival, has pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The charge could send him to prison for 10 years.

Also known as “Marvin H. Rogers” and “Cecil Price,” the 43-year-old native of Trinidad and Tobago currently is facing deportation proceedings.

As Marvin H. Rogers, he was convicted in 1998 in Richland County of felony possession with intent to distribute cocaine, county records show. This means he cannot legally possess a firearm, Drake said.

When federal agents raided his Montego Bay restaurant at 7314 Parklane Road on July 18, 2016, they found a shotgun and a handgun, as well as a high-capacity magazine and assorted rounds of 12-gauge shotgun shells, .40-caliber ammunition, .45-caliber ammunition and 9mm ammunition.

The restaurant, also known as MoBay Caribbean Restaurant, has for several years coordinated the Carolina Sun Splash Festival, held at the Richland County Recreation Department’s Garners Ferry Road complex.

Sandiford, when he is sentenced, could face 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 plus three years of supervision after release.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Man, woman connected to Richland’s Sun Splash Festival in trouble with the law."