Final sentences handed down in SC State House scandal to ex-Richland, Horry lawmakers
Editor’s note: A former commander of the Columbia camp of the S.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans says it is incorrect to say that white supremacist and convicted killer Dylann Roof “wrapped himself” in the Confederate flag. Multiple online photos of Roof show with a Confederate flag.
A seven-year corruption scandal in the S.C. General Assembly came to an end Thursday, when a former prominent Richland County state senator was sentenced to a year of probation and a former Myrtle Beach House member was sentenced to non-custodial punishments.
Judge Carmen Mullen sentenced former state Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, to one year of probation with 100 hours of community service to be served through a church or nonprofit. When those hours are completed, Mullen said Courson’s probation will end
Courson, once considered one of the most respected state senators, had pleaded guilty in 2018, but his sentence was held in abeyance until the case of Richard Quinn, who orchestrated a secret empire of influence in the General Assembly, was disposed of.
“(Courson) misused his campaign account, and that’s the bottom line,” Courson’s attorney, Rose Mary Parham, said Thursday at the Beaufort County Courthouse. “Mr. Quinn managed his campaign, and he accepted money back from Mr. Quinn, and believed Mr. Quinn when he said that was a proper thing to do. They were like brothers. (Courson) trusted him.”
Before sentencing, Parham emphasized to Mullen that Courson, 78, had “cooperated fully” throughout the corruption investigation, including his testimony against Quinn.
“He’s not just cooperating against someone. He’s cooperating against his very best friend, Mr. Quinn,” Parham said.
Quinn, 78, pleaded guilty last week to perjury and obstruction of justice charges, and was given 18 months home detention, avoiding prison in large part because of his age and health issues.
Parham said Courson also should be treated favorably due to his several health problems, his cooperation and “emotional suffering” over the last six years.
Courson, a former Senate president pro tempore and chairman of the Senate Education Committee, was known as a “Reagan Republican,” conservative but also moderate at times. A supporter of the Confederate flag, he early on joined in a successful push to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds in 2015 after a white supremacist, pictured showing him wrapped in the flag, killed nine Black parishioners at a Charleston church.
Conservation groups also gave him awards for his work on progressive environmental legislation.
The former senator’s wife, Elizabeth Courson, addressed Mullen directly on behalf of her husband.
The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend, she said.
“That John has been a husband of 50 years less a few days says something,” she said. “The violation he committed ... is against everything I have ever known with him. He is hurt deeply by knowing that he hurt his children and hurt me.”
Courson also spoke to the court, highlighting his remorse and stating he “thinks about this every day” despite his extensive health struggles.
“The ethos of the United States Marine Corps is honor, courage, commitment,” the former Marine Corps reservist said. “I still live by that.”
Mullen, whose father was in the Marine Corps, said Courson’s cooperation and demeanor throughout the case “speaks volumes” to his character.
Mullen also took a guilty plea from former S.C. Rep. Tracy Edge, R-Myrtle Beach, for perjury after Edge failed to report a portion of his campaign finances to the State Ethics Commission. The 56-year-old was sentenced to six months in prison or a fine of $500.
Edge accepted the fine, but gets 10 days to appeal the court’s decision if he chooses.
Edge’s attorney, Joe McCulloch, argued similarly to Parham that his client’s cooperation with the state investigation warranted a favorable sentence.
“(Failure to report the finances) was not a purposeful deception,” McCulloch said. “It was the result of ignorance. Ignorance is not an excuse under the law. We accept that.”
Edge apologized for his conduct before the court.
“The last eight years have been filled with pain and anxiety, surgeries and medical issues, in part due to this situation,” Edge said. “I’m very sorry for any failures on my part in this case and deeply regret them.”
Mullen said she recognized Edge, like Courson, was cooperative throughout the investigation before handing down her sentence. Their cooperation with investigators, she added, was helpful in allowing the state to pursue the “other persons” involved in the corruption scandal.
The State House corruption saga began in 2014, after Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican, appointed Democrat and 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe as the special prosecutor in an investigation involving then-House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston.
Pascoe, who McCulloch called the “grim reaper of the Legislature,” secured a guilty plea from Harrell in October 2014. Harrell was forced to resign one of the most powerful positions in state government.
At that point, Pascoe had uncovered more possible corruption in the General Assembly and wanted to extend his special-called job to go after more targets, a move opposed by Wilson, whose close political allies, including Quinn, were Pascoe’s potential targets.
After a series of bruising court battles between Wilson and Pascoe, the South Carolina Supreme Court gave Pascoe permission to launch a state grand jury investigation into State House corruption that came to involve Quinn’s records, which included his non-disclosed payments to various legislators and his close relationship with Wilson.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published April 27, 2023 at 11:11 AM.
