South Carolina Democrats Hoping To "Eat One Of Their Own", Alvin "The Chipmunk" Greene, Hit Another Dead End.
Greene paid his own filing fee; won’t face additional criminal charges
By JOHN MONK
Alvin Greene, the obscure jobless man whose come-from-nowhere victory in the June Democratic primary for U.S. Senate created a national furor, had legitimate sources of income to pay his $10,400 primary entry fee, law enforcement sources said Friday.
He will not, according to SLED, face criminal deception charges for requesting a taxpayer funded attorney in a still pending criminal case against him.
State law enforcement officials wrapped up an investigation of Greene’s finances after questions were raised about how he could qualify for indigent defense and afford to pay more than $10,000 to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Greene’s surprise June 8 upset victory over former circuit judge Vic Rawl initially caused many to speculate Republican operatives had secretly bankrolled Greene’s primary entry fee to sabotage the primary. Rawl’s defeat left Greene the Democratic challenger to U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.
The source of Greene’s money is none other than the U.S. government and the S.C. state government, said SLED director Reggie Lloyd.
“That’s who bankrolled Greene’s entry fee for the primary,” said Lloyd, whose agency worked with 5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese in the investigation. “The U.S. government and the state of South Carolina funded his filing fee.”
The mystery surrounding Greene’s win made South Carolina – already a laughingstock due to sex allegations surrounding Gov. Mark Sanford and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley – the butt of numerous national jokes. Greene was involuntarily discharged from the U.S. Army last August after 13 years under circumstances that are still unclear.
For state Democrats, the victory of an unemployed candidate with a somewhat murky past has been a source of acute embarrassment. Republicans are delighting in linking Greene to state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, who is running for governor against Haley.
Lloyd said SLED investigators came away convinced that Greene had no ulterior motives in running for the U.S. Senate.
“He just wholeheartedly believes he wants to run for Senate,” Lloyd said.
As far as where the unemployed Greene got the money to run for Senate, and whether he lied to get a public defender, Lloyd said, “He is clean. He did nothing wrong, and he answered all our questions.”
Money accounted for
In its investigation, Lloyd said, SLED had access to all Greene’s checking and savings accounts.
Those monthly statements showed Greene, 32, had a monthly balance last fall of several thousand dollars in his Bank of Clarendon checking account in Manning, Lloyd said.
Last October, Greene received a $5,843 check from the U.S. Department of Defense in connection with his discharge from the military last year.
“That brought him up to more than $8,200,” Lloyd said.
Greene continued having a checking account balance of about that amount into March, when Greene received a federal income tax refund of $2,173 and a state tax refund of $932, Lloyd said.
“At that point, he had more than $11,400 in his account,” Lloyd said.
Greene was also getting a $1,100 monthly unemployment check, Lloyd said. Since Greene lived with his father and had few expenses other than “haircuts and groceries,” his unemployment check was another source of government income for the discharged veteran, Lloyd said.
In mid-March, Greene walked into the S.C. Democratic Party headquarters in Columbia and produced a check written on his personal account that eventually made him a candidate, Lloyd said.
“We have accounted for all the money that he used to pay his $10,400 filing fee,” said Lloyd.
Greene didn’t lie
Lloyd said SLED investigators also concluded Greene did not lie to a Richland County magistrate last November when he signed papers indicating he was indigent and needed a public defender to be appointed for him at taxpayer expense to fight a felony obscenity charge.
Lloyd said investigators talked to magistrate’s court personnel and reviewed a tape of the bond hearing.
It was clear, Lloyd said, little screening was done to check whether Greene had assets in the bank that might have allowed him to pay for his own lawyer. It also was clear that there was not enough evidence to conclude that Greene had deliberately misrepresented his financial situation, Lloyd said.
“The only thing they asked him from the bench was how much money do you make per month. They didn’t ask him if he had any other money,” Lloyd said. “There’s nothing in the record that he (Greene) tried to defraud anybody.”
Court personnel told SLED they were “busy” that day, Lloyd said.
“He certainly didn’t do anything to defraud them,” Lloyd said. “They just didn’t bother to ask him.”
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Giese said Friday evening that SLED’s investigation into how Greene was appointed a public defender means that no criminal charges will be brought against him for perjury or any related offense in that matter.
However, as for Greene’s felony obscenity charge, Giese said, “That case is still active and currently awaiting grand jury action.”
Greene, according to a USC police report, entered a computer lab, downloaded pornographic images, showed them to a 19-year-old female USC student and suggested they go to her room.
Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/07/10/1371362/greene-paid-his-own-filing-fee.html#ixzz0tJh6dxcq
By JOHN MONK
Alvin Greene, the obscure jobless man whose come-from-nowhere victory in the June Democratic primary for U.S. Senate created a national furor, had legitimate sources of income to pay his $10,400 primary entry fee, law enforcement sources said Friday.
He will not, according to SLED, face criminal deception charges for requesting a taxpayer funded attorney in a still pending criminal case against him.
State law enforcement officials wrapped up an investigation of Greene’s finances after questions were raised about how he could qualify for indigent defense and afford to pay more than $10,000 to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Greene’s surprise June 8 upset victory over former circuit judge Vic Rawl initially caused many to speculate Republican operatives had secretly bankrolled Greene’s primary entry fee to sabotage the primary. Rawl’s defeat left Greene the Democratic challenger to U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.
The source of Greene’s money is none other than the U.S. government and the S.C. state government, said SLED director Reggie Lloyd.
“That’s who bankrolled Greene’s entry fee for the primary,” said Lloyd, whose agency worked with 5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese in the investigation. “The U.S. government and the state of South Carolina funded his filing fee.”
The mystery surrounding Greene’s win made South Carolina – already a laughingstock due to sex allegations surrounding Gov. Mark Sanford and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley – the butt of numerous national jokes. Greene was involuntarily discharged from the U.S. Army last August after 13 years under circumstances that are still unclear.
For state Democrats, the victory of an unemployed candidate with a somewhat murky past has been a source of acute embarrassment. Republicans are delighting in linking Greene to state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, who is running for governor against Haley.
Lloyd said SLED investigators came away convinced that Greene had no ulterior motives in running for the U.S. Senate.
“He just wholeheartedly believes he wants to run for Senate,” Lloyd said.
As far as where the unemployed Greene got the money to run for Senate, and whether he lied to get a public defender, Lloyd said, “He is clean. He did nothing wrong, and he answered all our questions.”
Money accounted for
In its investigation, Lloyd said, SLED had access to all Greene’s checking and savings accounts.
Those monthly statements showed Greene, 32, had a monthly balance last fall of several thousand dollars in his Bank of Clarendon checking account in Manning, Lloyd said.
Last October, Greene received a $5,843 check from the U.S. Department of Defense in connection with his discharge from the military last year.
“That brought him up to more than $8,200,” Lloyd said.
Greene continued having a checking account balance of about that amount into March, when Greene received a federal income tax refund of $2,173 and a state tax refund of $932, Lloyd said.
“At that point, he had more than $11,400 in his account,” Lloyd said.
Greene was also getting a $1,100 monthly unemployment check, Lloyd said. Since Greene lived with his father and had few expenses other than “haircuts and groceries,” his unemployment check was another source of government income for the discharged veteran, Lloyd said.
In mid-March, Greene walked into the S.C. Democratic Party headquarters in Columbia and produced a check written on his personal account that eventually made him a candidate, Lloyd said.
“We have accounted for all the money that he used to pay his $10,400 filing fee,” said Lloyd.
Greene didn’t lie
Lloyd said SLED investigators also concluded Greene did not lie to a Richland County magistrate last November when he signed papers indicating he was indigent and needed a public defender to be appointed for him at taxpayer expense to fight a felony obscenity charge.
Lloyd said investigators talked to magistrate’s court personnel and reviewed a tape of the bond hearing.
It was clear, Lloyd said, little screening was done to check whether Greene had assets in the bank that might have allowed him to pay for his own lawyer. It also was clear that there was not enough evidence to conclude that Greene had deliberately misrepresented his financial situation, Lloyd said.
“The only thing they asked him from the bench was how much money do you make per month. They didn’t ask him if he had any other money,” Lloyd said. “There’s nothing in the record that he (Greene) tried to defraud anybody.”
Court personnel told SLED they were “busy” that day, Lloyd said.
“He certainly didn’t do anything to defraud them,” Lloyd said. “They just didn’t bother to ask him.”
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Giese said Friday evening that SLED’s investigation into how Greene was appointed a public defender means that no criminal charges will be brought against him for perjury or any related offense in that matter.
However, as for Greene’s felony obscenity charge, Giese said, “That case is still active and currently awaiting grand jury action.”
Greene, according to a USC police report, entered a computer lab, downloaded pornographic images, showed them to a 19-year-old female USC student and suggested they go to her room.
Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/07/10/1371362/greene-paid-his-own-filing-fee.html#ixzz0tJh6dxcq
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