Former Richland County councilwoman pleads guilty to public corruption charges
Just 13 days before she would’ve had her day in court, former Richland County Councilwoman Dalhi Myers pleaded guilty to public corruption, according to the South Carolina Attorney’s General’s Office.
Nearly five years after being accused of abusing her position, Myers pled guilty to one count of misconduct in office and three counts of use of official position for financial gain, in violation of the state’s Ethics Act, according to a spokesperson for the South Carolina Attorney’s General’s Office. She was set to stand trial on Sept. 29.
Myers was sentenced to 10 years in prison, which was suspended to three years of probation on the misconduct charge, and one year in prison, suspended to three years of probation on the others, all concurrent, the spokesperson said.
She was also ordered to pay $6,416.59 restitution, which was paid at sentencing.
Myers’ indictments followed an investigation by The State newspaper earlier in 2020 that revealed the potential misuse of county credit card funds, including Myers spending thousands on a trip to Greece, department stores and at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
She was originally indicted by a state grand jury in December 2020 on two dozen counts of public corruption based on her alleged misdeeds while serving as a Richland County councilwoman. Following a slew of judge reassignments, a trial was finally set for late September.
When the newspaper initially submitted a request for the spending records, Myers attempted to repay the county for the expenses by writing a $27,000 check. That check subsequently bounced twice, prosecutors alleged.
