South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that the State Grand Jury has returned a ten-count indictment against Sharon Staggers, the former Williamsburg County Clerk of Court. The charges stem from allegations of public corruption.
According to the indictment, Staggers faces several charges, including misconduct in office, multiple counts of embezzlement of public funds—both less than and more than $10,000—and violations of the Ethics Act related to financial gain and receiving anything of value to influence official action. The alleged embezzlement totals about $119,499.06. Most of these funds were Title IV-D monies intended to support child support services. In Williamsburg County, salaries for elected officials are set by county council.
The investigation was conducted by the South Carolina State Grand Jury in collaboration with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Department of Social Services, and the Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Section. The prosecution will be led by Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General S. Creighton Waters, Assistant Attorney General Savanna Goude, and Assistant Attorney General Walt Whitmire.
Attorney General Wilson emphasized: “all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The indictments can be accessed online.
