Thread: S.C. Sheriff James Metts Indicted In Bribery Scheme To Aid Illegal Aliens

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts Indicted In Connection With Bribery Scheme To Aid Illegal Aliens

Posted: Jun 17, 2014 2:09 PM PDTUpdated: Jun 17, 2014 2:09 PM PDTBy Press Release

Photo of Lexington County (SC) Sheriff James Metts

Columbia, SC -United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated Tuesday that James R. Metts (68 ), of Lexington, SC, was charged by a federal grand jury in a 10-count indictment.

According to allegations in the indictment, Metts accepted bribes from friends in return for using his position, power, and influence as Sheriff to interfere with the proper identification and processing of certain illegal aliens detained at the Lexington County Detention Center. Two others, Danny Frazier (46) and Greg Leon (47), both of Lexington, SC, have been charged by the State Grand Jury with bribing Metts.

United States Attorney Bill Nettles was joined in making the announcement by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Special Agent in Charge David A. Thomas of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kenneth R. Burkhart of Homeland Security Investigations; and Chief Mark Keel of the State Law Enforcement Division.

“Public corruption at any level will not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Bill Nettles. “These indictments are a product of a new team at the United States Attorney’s Office whose goal is to use an unprecedented level of cooperation with state and federal agencies in routing out public corruption and returning public trust to the people.”

Metts was charged with Conspiracy to Violate Federal Law and Interfere with Government Function (18 U.S.C. §371), Use of Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery in violation of South Carolina Code Sections 8-13-705 and 16-9-220 (18 U.S.C. §1952), Use of Interstate Wire to Defraud the Citizens of Lexington County of Their Right to Honest Services (18 U.S.C. §1343, 1346), and Conspiracy to Harbor Illegal Aliens (8 U.S.C. §1324).

The charge of Conspiracy to Violate Federal Law and Interfere with Government Function carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a $250,000 fine; each charge of Use of Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a $250,000 fine; each charge of Use of Interstate Wire to Defraud the Citizens of Lexington County of Their Right to Honest Services carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine; and the charge of Conspiracy to Harbor Illegal Aliens carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine. Additionally, these charges include a maximum term of supervised release following imprisonment of 3 years.

This multi-agency investigation included the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; State Law Enforcement Division (SLED); and South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Wicker, Julius N. Richardson, and James H. May for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this indictment are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

http://www.wjbf.com/story/25801485/l...illegal-aliens

There are a lot of corrupt politicians in DC that need charges like this too!

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

There are a lot of corrupt politicians in DC that need charges like this too!

W

And some city, county and state politicians too.

[Judge rejects plea agreement – Metts will go to trial

BY JOHN MONK AND TIM FLACH
jmonk@thestate.com, tflach@thestate.com[/EMAIL]December 17, 2014 Updated 35 minutes ago

COLUMBIA, SC — U.S. Judge Terry Wooten on Wednesday rejected the proposed plea agreement between federal prosecutors and lawyers for former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts that would have given Metts no prison time for conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants.Saying the charge to which Metts was pleading guilty had sentencing guidelines that required a 10- to 16-month sentence, Wooten, a former federal prosecutor, said it’s rare to grant probation in any federal prison case when guidelines call for prison time.

“The guidelines do not call for a probationary sentence,” Wooten said.

“Conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens is a serious charge,” Wooten said. He also noted “the defendant is a public official.”

The surprise announcement by Wooten was a blow to both the prosecution, which has now revealed its case, and the defense.
Wooten told prosecutors and defense attorneys: “You’d better get ready for trial.”

Jury selection is to begin Jan. 5. The trial is slated for Jan.12.

Prosecutors told the judge they offered three years of probation in exchange for Metts’ agreement to plead guilty.

The guidelines are there “to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities,” Wooten said. In cases where guidelines call for incarceration, he said, “seldom have I given probation.”

Cases where he has given probation were where the defendant played a minor role or committed a technical violation of some kind, Wooten said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said of the plea agreement that “the same offer was available to him from the beginning.”

After the hearing, Metts and his lawyers departed with minimal comment. "We'll get ready for trial," said Scott Schools, one of Metts' lawyers.

Metts, 68, had been Lexington County sheriff for almost 42 years. He quit his job and announced he was taking retirement Tuesday, one day before his lawyers appeared in court to announce he wanted to plead guilty and get probation and have the rest of the charges dismissed.

An embedded fixture in the populous conservative and heavily Republican county landscape, Metts was believed to have been able to stay in office as long as he wanted.

A federal grant jury indicted Metts in June on multiple counts of accepting cash bribes to let illegal Mexican aliens out of his jail and let them avoid repatriation back to Mexico.

Since being indicted, Metts has insisted on his innocence. His agreement to plead guilty was only made public Tuesday and came after intense negotiations between prosecutors and Metts’ defense attorneys, Sherri Lydon and Scott Schools, who are former assistant U.S. Attorneys. Metts is said to be paying them hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees.

In the past, Metts had publicized his efforts to win approval by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to identify illegal aliens at his jail – a process that would lead to their deportation.

But unknown to the public, Metts was making money off illegal aliens that came his way.

Judge Wooten, in his early 60s, has had a career as an assistant prosecutor with the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s office, with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and as an assistant U.S. Attorney. He is a 1980 University of South Carolina School of Law graduate.

Wooten became a federal judge in 2001.

http://www.thestate.com/2014/12/17/3...ml?sp=/99/132/

http://www.thestate.com/2014/12/17/3878723_judge-rejects-proposed-metts-plea.html?sp=/99/132/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

Monday, December 22, 2014 1:50 p.m. CST

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A former South Carolina sheriff agreed on Monday to plead guilty to conspiring to harbor illegal immigrants, a deal that could land him in prison after a federal judge rejected a similar agreement that would have resulted only in probation.

James Metts, 68, became sheriff of Lexington County in 1972 and had been the state's longest-serving sheriff. He was suspended from office in June after being indicted on 10 criminal counts and resigned last week.

The conspiracy charge carries up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Prosecutors charged Metts with accepting bribes to use his position to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants employed at a Mexican restaurant owned by one of his friends.

Metts was also accused of conspiring with employees of the sheriff's office to release illegal immigrants from jail before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could identify or process them, according to court documents.

The new plea agreement includes no sentencing conditions. It must be approved by U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten in Columbia, South Carolina, who last week rejected a guilty plea to the same charge because the deal carried a guarantee of only three years' probation as a penalty.

Wooten has not yet scheduled a hearing to determine whether he will accept the revised plea deal, defense attorney Scott Schools said on Monday.

Failing a successful plea deal, Metts is due to stand trial in January.

http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2014/d...-bribery-case/

Metts co-conspirator pleads guilty to hiring illegal aliens

BY MATTHEW STEVENS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH 2015


Greg Leon

COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) - Greg Leon, a co-conspirator in the case against former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday for hiring illegal aliens. at his restaurants.

Leon previously pleaded guilty in a state court for paying a public official.

The restaurant owner admitted to hiring employees at his eight restaurants that he knew were illegally in the country.

Evidence during the trial revealed that Leon had hired approximately 60 illegal aliens.

Further evidence showed that he did pay Metts to help one the aliens he hired not to be detected by immigration officers while the alien was housed at the Lexington County Detention Center.

Federal prosecutors noted that Leon has cooperated extensively in the case against Metts and have agreed on a sentence of one year probation and a fine of $180,000.

Leon was sentenced to five years probation and 200 hours of community service in a state court earlier this year.

http://wach.com/news/local/metts-co-...illegal-aliens

Let this be a lesson to all. Every single one of the Sheriffs Departments and Municipal Police Organizations that support illegal aliens are on the take with the cartels sending them here. So when you see them or read statements made by them carrying on about public safety and getting illegal aliens to trust them so they'll report crimes, just know that these people couldn't care less about illegal aliens reporting crimes, they're interested only in the money being paid to them by the illegal aliens for protection and immunity.