Former Richland 1 official accused of embezzlement

A former Richland District 1 procurement manager has been indicted by the state grand jury on embezzlement and misconduct in office charges.

Travis Antonio Braddy was indicted on 12 counts related to misusing public funds, according to a statement released by the state Attorney General’s Office Wednesday.

Braddy, 43, is accused of using his position to embezzle school district funds primarily through misuse of “P-cards,” which he used to make personal purchases, the statement said. The Attorney General’s Office has alleged that Braddy’s schemes netted him up to $23,170.41 in public funds.

“Overuse of P-cards and lax enforcement of procurement policies and procedures can lead to misuse of taxpayer money meant to benefit the schoolchildren of our state,” Attorney General Alan Wilson said. “This office will continue to be aggressive in following up on allegations of school P-card and procurement abuse throughout South Carolina.”

Among other charges, Braddy was accused of having $9,388 paid to a “sham company” controlled by someone close to him. The attorney general also alleges that Braddy booked himself rooms at a Hilton Garden Inn using P-cards. He allegedly disguised $3,358 in hotel charges as personal protective equipment purchased for the district at the height of the COVID pandemic.

In its statement, the attorney general’s office also accuses Braddy of disguising his rental of a 2020 GMC Yukon as a box truck used by the district to deliver personal protective equipment. The district was ultimately billed over $10,000 for Braddy’s car.

“The discrepancies were discovered through our system of internal controls and checks and balances,” said Karen York, director of communications for Richland District 1. “We turned over what we found through our investigation to law enforcement.”

Braddy resigned from Richland District 1 in May 2021 “on the grounds of insubordination,” according to a statement released by the Attorney General’s Office. If convicted, Braddy faces up to 54 years in prison.

The State Grand Jury charged Braddy with four counts of embezzlement, four counts of using an official position for personal gain, three counts of forgery and one count of misconduct in office. He was booked at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.

This is a breaking news story. Check back here for updates.

This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 4:50 PM.