SC prosecutor now the prosecuted; bond hearing set for Johnson

Suspended 5th Circuit solicitor Dan Johnson and a former top aide, Nicole Holland, will appear in court Thursday for a bond hearing on state embezzlement charges.

The 2 p.m. hearing at the Richland County Courthouse was announced Monday by the S.C. attorney general’s office.

State Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman will preside.

Johnson and Holland were indicted last week by the state grand jury, which is under the jurisdiction of the attorney general’s office.

Johnson, 47, faces state charges of embezzlement and misconduct in office; Holland faces charges of embezzlement.

Last Wednesday, Gov. Henry McMaster, R-Richland, suspended Johnson, D-Richland, from his job as the 5th Circuit solicitor and appointed Heather Weiss, a deputy state attorney general, to be interim solicitor.

As 5th Circuit solicitor, Johnson oversaw nearly all criminal prosecutions in Richland and Kershaw counties. The solicitor’s office has a budget of $8 million a year and more than 100 employees. Johnson served nearly eight years as solicitor.

On Sept. 18, Johnson and Holland were indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple fraud charges, alleging they misappropriated more than $55,000 in taxpayer money.

Holland was Johnson’s communications director and in charge of credit cards in the solicitor’s office.

Those office credits were used for personal expenses, including “travel, vacations, romantic liaisons, medical expenses and double-reimbursements for military training,” according to the 10-page federal indictment.

No date has been set for a bond hearing on the federal charges against Johnson and Holland. U.S. District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie has been assigned to the case.

This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 12:33 PM.