South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that the State Grand Jury has issued a ten-count indictment against Sharon Staggers, the former Clerk of Court for Williamsburg County. The charges allege public corruption and include multiple counts related to embezzlement and ethics violations.
According to the indictments, Staggers is accused of misconduct in office, several counts of embezzlement of public funds—both less than and more than $10,000—and two violations under the Ethics Act. The allegations state that she embezzled about $119,499.06 by causing funds to be paid to her beyond her authorized salary as an elected official. Most of these funds were Title IV-D funds designated for child support services; salaries for such officials are set by county council.
The investigation was conducted by the South Carolina State Grand Jury in cooperation with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Department of Social Services, and the Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Section. Prosecution will be led by Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General S. Creighton Waters along with Assistant Attorneys General Savanna Goude and Walt Whitmire.
Attorney General Wilson emphasized: “all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
For further details or access to the indictments, visit this link: You can see the indictments here.
