Federal authorities charge 3 North Charleston council members in year-long corruption investigation

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Three North Charleston city council members have been charged in a year-long corruption investigation.

Councilmembers Jerome Heyward, Mike A. Brown, Sandino Moses, and five of their associates including Hason “Tory” Fields, Aaron Hicks, Michelle Stent-Hilton, Donavan Moten, and Rose Lorenzo, are charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina and face multiple felony counts ranging from bribery to extortion, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Acting U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference that the three council members used their positions to enrich themselves.

He explained that the acts alleged in the charging documents involved extortion, bribery, and kickback schemes involving payments related to the rezoning of the historic Baker Hospital site in North Charleston, and to North Charleston’s violence reduction grants.

“Each of the defendants in this case either solicited bribes, received bribes, paid bribes, or otherwise facilitated the payment of bribes for kickbacks,” said Brooks.

Brooks went on to say, “When elected officials take their oath of office, they make a sacred promise to the people they serve. They pledge to uphold the law, act with integrity, and place the public interest over their own. Public service should never merely be a job, it is a public trust.

“This type of corruption does more than violate federal law, it erodes the very foundation of democratic governance. When citizens cannot trust their elected representatives to act in the public trust, faith in our institution crumbles. The people of North Charleston deserve better.”

Heyward, Moses, Hicks, and Moten have agreed to plead guilty and are scheduled to enter their guilty pleas in federal court Friday morning. The others are set to be arraigned in March.

North Charleston Mayor Reggie Burgess released a statement shortly after Wednesday’s announcement extending his gratitude to the FBI and State Law Enforcement Division for their thorough and diligent work throughout the investigation.

“From the outset, the City has fully cooperated with this inquiry, embracing the opportunity to ensure the continued trust and confidence of our community. Transparency and accountability remain core principles of this administration, and we welcomed this review as a necessary step to uphold those standards,” said Burgess. “We appreciate the community’s patience and support during this process and assure you that our focus remains, as always, on building a safer and brighter future for North Charleston.”

North Charleston confirmed to News 2 that Jerome Heyward has resigned effective immediately. There is no word on the other council members.

INDICTMENTS

Jerome Heward (District 5)

Jerome Heyward is accused of using his position as a North Charleston City Councilman to “engage in three schemes to personally enrich himself through bribes, kickbacks, and extortion.”

In the first scheme, Heyward is accused of extorting a businessman by soliciting payments in exchange for actions as a city council member.

The second scheme outlined that Heyward accepted bribes from an individual working on behalf of a company with business before North Charleston City Council in exchange for his official action related to that business.

In the final scheme, federal officials say Heyward is accused of embezzling funds belonging to the city by soliciting and accepting payments from non-profit organizations that received grant funds from the city in exchange for his official action.

• Attempted Extortion
• Wire Fraud (X4)
• Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud (X2)
• Bribery (X3)
• Theft
• Money Laundering (X3)

Michael A. Brown (District 1)

Michael A. Brown is accused of conspiring with Heyward and Hicks to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud. Documents allege that while serving as a council member, Brown solicited and accepted bribes from Hicks – working on behalf of a company requesting the rezoning of the Baker Hospital site – in exchange for his support of the rezoning application.

• Conspiracy to Commit Bribery
• Bribery
• Wire Fraud

Sandino Moses (District 3)

Information gathered through the year-long investigation determined that Moses knew that Fields and others attempted to bribe him and paid him bribes but that he failed to disclose that criminal conduct and instead took steps to conceal the bribes by returning the money to Fields.

• Misprision of a Felony (X1)