Twelve more people have been arraigned in federal court in connection with the Department of Social Services embezzlement scheme that cost the department more then $5.2 million. Six co-defendants pleaded guilty in April.

D.S.S. Finance Director Paul Timothy Moore was indicted in February for allegedly authorizing the issuance of hundreds of checks, beginning in May 2004.
U.S. Attorney Walt Wilkins says the defendants cashed checks from the former director.   “This case rose out of an investigation where a confidential informant came to us that Paul Moore was obtaining DSS checks and giving them to individuals who would go out and cash the checks and split the proceeds with Mr. Moore.” 

Wilkins says through co-defendant Jonathan Moses, whom Moore met in a nightclub, Moore requested checks made out to the check cashers who they recruited. The cashers were given between $300 and $1500 per check as a cut.

Wilkins says the investigation continues.   “We are looking for anyone involved in this case who may have cashed a check or recruited someone to cash a check, and our intent is to locate anyone we can who knew that the money was unlawful proceeds.” 

Moore has admitted distributing a few hundred checks over four years, for a total of $1.3 million, but prosecutors say an audit showed $5.5 million missing. Moore’s attorney says he plans to plead guilty as soon as he can reach agreement with prosecutors on the amount of money he took.

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Thirty-four-year old Thomas Treshawn Ivey is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection (this) (Friday) evening for killing an Orangeburg Police Sergeant after trying to pass a bad check. Thirty-eight-year old Tommy Harrison was murdered in 1993.Prosecutors say Ivey began a crime spree when he and another inmate escaped from an Alabama jail. They ended upo in Columbia. Ivey was also sentenced to death for killing a South Carolina businessman just days before killing Harrison.

Ivey’s defense attorney Bob Dudek(DUD-ik) says he filed for a stay of execution on the grounds that the solicitor prosecuting Ivey’s case made it sound like just sending Ivey to jail was not a strong punishment.

Dudek says the South Carolina Supreme Court, in another case, has ruled that inadmissible in court. He says the prosecutor was wrong in describing prison conditions as he did.  “He said it was described that you could either sentence him to a lifetime behind bars, or to a life of leisure, where he can play basketball, go to the library, have canteen privileges, and such matters which are misleading.  But the punishment of death was presented as no punishment at all, which is not true.”

The South Carolina Supreme Court refused the request for Ivey’s stay of execution on a 3 to 1 vote. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on Ivey’s request for either a stay of execution or a new trial.

Dudek also argues that the court appointed for Ivey a disqualified attorney who was later disbarred.   “Part of the problem in this case was with the first post-conviction attorney who was later disbarred.  He was in trouble with the grievance committee at the time when he represented Mr. Ivey.  And Mr. Ivey has been struggling along ever since, trying to revive one of the  issues of his case.”

Ivey’s execution is scheduled for 6pm at the Broad River Corrections Center in Columbia.