BUSTED: Republican consultant charged with perjury and obstruction for 'kickback scheme'

On Friday, The Statereported that Rick Quinn, Sr., a Republican consultant in South Carolina, faces new charges as a special prosecutor brings indictments for perjury and obstruction of justice.

"The new 38-page indictment, issued May 20 and supervised by new special prosecutor Barry Barnette, accuses Quinn of 12 different counts of perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice," said the report. "This indictment is modeled on a 33-page indictment from April 2019, issued by a former state grand jury and directed by former special prosecutor David Pascoe ... Both indictments detail secret payments of some $900,000 Quinn made to former state Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, and the tens of thousands of dollars in a 'kickback scheme' to former state Sen. John Courson, R-Richland. The new indictments allege that Quinn committed perjury and lied about the payments to a state grand jury."

"The new indictment also charges Quinn with lying to the state grand jury about money his son, former state Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington, received from the Quinn consulting firm, Richard Quinn & Associates," continued the report. "As a result of Pascoe's investigation, Rick Quinn pleaded guilty to one act of misconduct and resigned from public office."

The younger Quinn resigned from the South Carolina legislature in 2018 amid the bribery allegations.

"In January, former special prosecutor Pascoe stepped down from the years-long investigation without bringing Quinn to trial on the perjury charges," noted the report. "In March, [state Attorney General Alan] Wilson appointed Barnette, elected solicitor of the 7th Judicial Circuit, as the new special prosecutor. Barnette had the discretion to either continue Pascoe's work or dismiss the charges."

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