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Federal mortgage fraud sweep underway across SC (AUDIO)

June 17, 2010 By

U.S. Attorney William Nettles and a high-powered group of state and federal officials gathered in Florence to announce arrests in a nationwide mortgage fraud sweep.  Review summaries of highlighted cases released today.

In South Carolina, there are nine cases already prosecuted in the crack-down on these financial lending crimes, explains Nettles. He says that this is just the beginning of cases he plans to make for the next few years:

 AUDIO: US Attorney William Nettles interview on mortgage fraud sweep (2:07)

This afternoon’s press conference included United States Attorney William N. Nettles, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Mike Williams, HUD Special Agent in Charge Herschell Harvell, U.S. Postal Inspector Tom Gasser, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ann Colbert, IRS Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kay Jernigan, and SLED Director Reggie Lloyd.

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, News

House assures 51 vetoes will stand

June 17, 2010 By

Reported by Joanne Lu, SCRN

The House of Representatives sustained 51 of 107 vetoes yesterday. Below is SCRN’s unofficial list of sustained vetoes:

Veto 2: $187,410 for SCAMP, a statewide consortium of twelve colleges designed to recruit black Ph.D. students in science and technology.

Veto 3: $67,967 for the Greenville Higher Ed Center, a consortium of colleges and universities serving the Upstate and surrounding areas.

Veto 4: $105,216 for a 10-week course teaching potential entrepreneurs how to start and grow businesses.

Veto 5: $416,336 for the Access & Equity program, which supports efforts to recruit and retain minority students.

Veto 7: $778,683 for the James E. Clyburn Transportation Center’s research and educational programs. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, News

Democrats hear Rawl protest

June 17, 2010 By

Democrats meet Thursday afternoon to discuss a protest filed against their candidate for U.S. Senate.

The South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Committee is holding its primary protest hearing this afternoon in Columbia. Alvin Greene, who has been a focus of national media for a week, received 60 percent of the vote in last week’s primary over Vic Rawl, a better-known political figure. This week Rawl filed a protest, saying his campaign has found problems with the voting machines or machine software. Rawl says some voters complained that they tried to vote for him but that the machine they used cast a ballot for Greene.

A state Election Commission official says there is no reason to believe that any voting machines failed.

Also, some Democratic leaders asserted that Greene, who didn’t file the proper paperwork, was actually a plant by Republicans.

The Democratic committee could overturn the primary result and order a new election, or committee members may decide that Greene is the winner.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

Governor “encouraged” by House support of 51 vetoes

June 17, 2010 By

Reported by Joanne Lu, SCRN

Gov. Mark Sanford applauds the South Carolina House of Representatives for sustaining 51 of 107 budget vetoes, an “unprecedented level of sustained budget vetoes.”

Included in this budget cut was the entire section that depends on now doubtful federal Medicaid funding. According to Sanford, if the Medicaid match dollars do materialize, the House has pledged to set the potential $261 million aside to reduce next year’s budget shortfall from about $1 billion to less than $800 million.

Sanford, in a statement this morning, says he is pleased with what he calls “rejecting the Obama mindset of spending money we don’t have” and is encouraging the Senate to follow the House’s lead in cutting state agency budgets “past fat and into bone.”

Filed Under: Legislature, News

Governor cuts deep into Office on Aging (AUDIO)

June 17, 2010 By

Gov. Mark Sanford’s cut into the Office on Aging was supported by the South Carolina House of Representatives.

The veto, which was sustained 98-12, was said to eliminate security funds for Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. According to John Legare, from the Office of Aging, which is run by the Lt. Governor, the veto amount of over $159,000 far exceeds the appropriated amount for the Lt. Governor’s security detail:

The Governor said he wanted to eliminate funding for security, an appropriation from [fiscal year] 07-08 in the amount of $90,000, which today after budget reductions is $67,853. To accomplish this goal, he has vetoed a line item of $159,238 that actually funded the Lt. Governor’s office staff. This veto far exceeds his stated goal of eliminating security for the Lieutenant Governor by 135 percent.

Legare explains that funding for salaries must now come from the Office on Aging, causing “a net decrease (federal and state funds) of $636,952. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, News
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