GREENVILLE, S.C. — Lawson B. Watson, 74, of Reidville, and Amos Durham, 62, of Woodruff, were sentenced for their roles in a public corruption scheme led by former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, who was sentenced on Tuesday to 41 months in federal prison.Chief District Court Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Watson to 16 months in federal prison, the top end of the recommended sentencing range under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, as well as a three-year term of supervised release. Watson was also ordered to pay $349,885.22 in restitution.
The Court also ordered that Watson make monthly payments of $2,000 in restitution payments upon his release from federal prison, and he was ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution by the close of business on the day of his sentencing.Durham was the only defendant of the three who was eligible for a probationary sentence pursuant to the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Judge Cain sentenced Durham to five years of probation, the maximum term of probation allowed by statute. Durham was also ordered to pay $95,442.39 in restitution. Durham will begin paying $3,000 a month towards restitution until it is satisfied within the next 60 days.
“The taxpayers of Spartanburg County and the members of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deserved better, and these defendants have now been held accountable for their roles in Chuck Wright’s schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as our state and federal law enforcement partners will remain ‘at the ready,’ continuing to investigate and prosecute public corruption in South Carolina.”According to court documents, from 2021-2025, Watson receiving an annual salary of $57,000 with full benefits, a county-issued Chevrolet Tahoe maintained by the county, with unlimited access to taxpayer-funded gas.
In return, Watson was a no-show employee for four years, failing to work in his county capacity. Instead, Watson used his county-issued Tahoe and phone to run his own grading business, including by listing his county-issued phone as the contact number for his private business, and he had a county employee prepare quotes and bids for his grading business. As the record revealed, Watson did not check his county email, he did not know how to submit a time sheet, and employees reported not seeing him at the sheriff’s office for several years. Durham, while serving as the senior chaplain for SCSO, in another fraudulent scheme led by Wright, oversaw the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain’s Benevolence Fund.
The Benevolence Fund is non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to SCSO deputies and their families during times of need, such as bereavement, financial difficulties, and traumatic line-of-duty events. Wright directed Durham to withdraw cash from the fund and cut checks to Wright, which Wright used for his own personal enrichment, to include the purchase of illegal opioids instead of assisting deputies and their families in need. When one employee’s family approached the chaplain seeking assistance to cover hospice bills from the Benevolence Fund for help covering hospice bills, they were turned away because the fund was empty. When a deputy asked for assistance with bills associated with a tree that fell on the deputy’s house, they were also turned away.
Around the same time, Wright took more than $89,000 donated cash from the Benevolence Fund for his private use. Wright also used the fund for personal purchases and expenses, to include hotel rooms, food, and travel bills. Durham also used the fund for pay for just over $3,000 for his own personal expenses, to include payments to Joseph A. Bank Clothiers, Discount Tire, and Lenscrafters.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the office of 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lothrop Morris and Criminal Chief Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.###