AT&T chief seen going into State Grand Jury offices in Pascoe probe
Pamela Lackey, president of communications giant AT&T South Carolina, was seen Tuesday morning entering the confidential State Grand Jury chambers where special prosecutor David Pascoe and several State Law Enforcement Division agents were waiting.
With Lackey, who also is a member of the S.C. Ports Authority board of directors, was one of the state’s most prominent lawyers, Bart Daniel of Charleston, a former U.S. attorney for South Carolina.
In a recent high-profile case, Daniel represented former House Speaker Bobby Harrell, who pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and avoided a prison sentence.
Lackey is not believed to be a target in Pascoe’s ongoing investigation of already indicted Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington, and his father’s political consulting firm, Richard A. Quinn and Associates. But AT&T has been a client of Richard Quinn, as has the Ports Authority, which owns and operates the state’s ports in Charleston and Georgetown.
Neither Daniel nor Pascoe would comment later Tuesday.
AT&T spokesman Clifton Metcalf commented, “AT&T is not aware that either it or any of its employees are the subject of any allegations by the special prosecutor. AT&T will not comment on activity of the grand jury.”
Also seen Tuesday at the State Grand Jury offices on State House grounds was SLED agent Richard Gregory, the lead investigator on the Pascoe probe, and 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson of Charleston, whom Pascoe has sworn in as a special prosecutor.
Pascoe is likely to be seeking information from Lackey about the Quinns, said ethics watchdog John Crangle.
“Lackey most likely received a subpoena duces tecum,” Crangle said. That means she had to bring with her and produce all emails, invoices and other documents between the Quinns and AT&T over a set period of time, Crangle said.
In a May 23 court hearing that touched on how the Quinns got money from various private businesses, trade groups and public agencies, Pascoe publicly mentioned AT&T as a business that had paid the Quinn firm money.
After getting money from AT&T and other entities, Rick Quinn improperly took action on their behalf in the General Assembly, Pascoe said in that May 23 hearing.
Rick Quinn is charged with two counts of misconduct in office and has been suspended from the House seat. He has pleaded not guilty. Richard Quinn has not been charged and has said he has committed no wrongdoing.
Besides AT&T and the Ports Authority, other entities that gave Rick Quinn upwards of $4.5 million over the years were SCANA, BlueCross BlueShield, Palmetto Health, the S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, the University of South Carolina, the payday lending industry “and many, many more,” Pascoe alleged.
As president of AT&T South Carolina, Lackey is responsible “for the company’s regulatory, economic development, legislative and community affairs activities in the state,” according to AT&T’s website.
This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 6:37 PM with the headline "AT&T chief seen going into State Grand Jury offices in Pascoe probe."