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Charges against North Charleston councilmen Jerome Heyward,
Sandino Moses and Mike A. Brown along with five others were
announced Wednesday after a yearlong investigation by the FBI
and state officials.
Heyward took a $40,000 kickback from two nonprofit organizations
in return for steering to them part of a $1.3 million grant to
fight gun violence in North Charleston, according to court
documents.
Heyward and Brown were part of a scheme by a boat maker to
rezone land on the Ashley River in North Charleston that was
once a hospital and before that a fertilizer plant to sell to a
boat manufacturer. The company offered to build a park but also
wanted a plant on the site.
The councilmen accepted bribes to try to get the rezoning passed
and by that time the FBI was listening to Heyward's call,
catching Brown saying he was annoyed it was taking too long to
get his money because he needed to pay for his son's wedding,
prosecutors said.
The rezoning plan was rejected.
Moses also took money to support the rezoning. He returned it,
but he lied about the offer and what he knew about his fellow
councilmen being on the take, according to charging documents.
Heyward is charged with extortion, bribery and wire fraud. Brown
is charged with bribery and wire fraud, and Moses is charged
with lying to federal investigators.
Heyward and Moses plan to plead guilty to their charges on
Friday, acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Brook Andrews
said.
A lawyer for Heyward didn't comment Wednesday. The other
councilmen and their lawyers didn't immediately respond. Heyward
and Moses have resigned from council, North Charleston officials
said.
“The allegations in this case describe a profound betrayal of
trust,” Andrews said at a news conference. “These council
members used their positions not to serve their communities, but
to enrich themselves.”
North Charleston is South Carolina's third-largest city with
about 125,000 people. Mayor Reggie Burgess thanked the FBI and
state investigators for their work to make sure residents
remained certain with their city government. He said the city
fully cooperated with the investigation.
"Transparency and accountability remain core principles of this
administration, and we welcomed this review as a necessary step
to uphold those standards,” Burgess said.
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