On Wednesday, US Attorney Beth Drake announced the arrest of 14 former South Carolina Department of Corrections employees.

The federal charges named are all related to accepting bribes and bringing contraband into South Carolina prisons. The indictments come less than two weeks after seven inmates died following a riot that broke out Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina.

In a press conference, DOC Director Bryan Stirling said the riot was a product of inmates fighting over territory and contraband, specifically, cell phones.

The FBI has been working with state law enforcement since 2016 to investigate the smuggling of contraband into prisons by staff at SCDC. The investigation uncovered a number of SCDC employees who accepted bribes to smuggle into prison various contraband, such as cell phones, narcotics, or tobacco.  Over the last year, several other investigations targeting cell phones in prisons have led to multiple federal convictions in other parts of the state.

According to the press release, violations include use of interstate facilities to facilitate bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud depriving South Carolina of the right to honest services, and possession with intent to distribute narcotics.

The following people were arraigned on their respective indictments Wednesday:

Rachel Burgess (age 39)

Joshua Cave (age 29)

Jamal Early (age 23)

James Harvey (age 54)

Douglas Hawkins (age 29)

Robert Hill (age 53)

Sharon Johnson-Breeland (age 29)

Darnell Kleckley (age 33)

Holly Mitchem (age 37)

Frank Pridgeon (age 64)

Catherine Prosser (age 60)

Camille Williams (age 65)

Miguel Williams (age 41)

Shatara Wilson (age 29).

This operation was a combined effort by the FBI, SLED, SCDC, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

“This operation signals our joint commitment to prosecute those who abuse their position for personal gain at the cost of the safety of our communities and prisons. If you have information about public employees and officials abusing their position, please contact the Columbia (South Carolina) FBI office at (803) 551-4200 or www.fbi.gov/tips,” U.S. Attorney Beth Drake said in the release.