⏱ 2 min read
A North Charleston man was sent to the slammer for trying to grease palms to get a boat factory built in his city. Aaron Charles-Lee Hicks, 38, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for bribing two city councilmen to vote in favor of the project.
Hicks took a cool $30,000 from Sea Fox Boat Company to consult on the project, but instead of giving his expertise, he kicked back a chunk to councilmen Jerome Heyward and Mike A. Brown. He paid Heyward $5,000, including $2,500 in cash on the day of the vote, and Brown got at least $1,000 in cash.
The scheme unraveled when investigators discovered Hicks was also involved in a second bribery plot involving councilman Sandino Moses. Hicks knew a friend, Tory Fields, was bribing Moses to get his support for the project.
During a meeting on April 26, 2024, Fields agreed to bribe Moses, and later paid him two bribes to get his vote. Hicks was in on the scheme and knew Fields was paying Moses off.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Public Corruption
- Defendant: South Carolina
- Location: SC
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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