The Richland County, S.C. solicitor who is accused of pulling a gun on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent – and threatening to kill him – was involved in another major personal dispute a few years ago. In fact Solicitor Daniel E. Johnson – then a ranking member of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department – may have benefitted from a massive cover-up involving some of the Midlands area’s most respected public officials.
FITS first reported on the gun/ murder threat allegations involving Johnson in this story, which was related to the S.C. Supreme Court’s public sanctioning of his wife, local attorney Kana Rahman-Johnson. What did she do? According to the court, Rahman-Johnson had sex with a client in a divorce case – namely, the FBI agent who was on the receiving end of her estranged husband’s threats.
But these recent allegations against Johnson (which a pair of Columbia, S.C.-based mainstream media outlets have been sitting on) may be small potatoes compared to a 2009 incident involving the prosecutor.
In March 2010 the website PoliceAbuse.com file a report alleging that “following a domestic dispute a police official entered into an inappropriate relationship with the wife of a local Columba, South Carolina businessman named Earl Graham.”
The official in question? Johnson, who at the time was serving as Chief Deputy and legal counselor to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD).
The website contacted Johnson, who “was not happy about the call.”
“He denies the allegations and threatened legal action if we continue to pursue the matter,” the website noted, although it added “there is evidence that contradicts (Johnson’s) claim,” referring to multiple “witnesses” to the affair, including family members and other officers of the RCSD.
So … what happened to Graham? Simply put, the hammer fell on him …
In early 2011, he was accused by Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott of making false statements about Johnson.
“When someone makes a false report, it takes police officers’ time and resources away from legitimate police work and wastes the taxpayers’ money,” Lott said at the time to local television station WIS TV 10 (Columbia, S.C.).
WIS TV is one of the two outlets sitting on the Johnson story, incidentally.
In addition to this charge, twice in five days attempts were made by an unknown individual to burn Graham’s Northeast Columbia, S.C. home to the ground.
With him in it …
So … what really happened here?
In an effort to follow up on the original report from PoliceAbuse.com, FITS spoke with a wide range of sources – all of whom confirmed Graham’s version of events.
For starters several of our sources at Fort Jackson confirmed that Johnson and Graham’s wife repeatedly visited the Officer’s Club together (Johnson, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, is a captain and judge advocate in the National Guard).
Meanwhile law enforcement sources at multiple Midlands, S.C. agencies – including federal law enforcement sources – have corroborated Graham’s claims that Johnson was having an affair with his then-wife. Also, it’s worth noting that the only investigation exonerating Johnson was conducted by his own department.
Hmmmm …
FITS will continue to investigate not only the claims against Johnson – but also the bigger story: Why is the press not writing about them? We are also filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division seeking case files on Johnson which have reportedly been provided to at least one local media outlet.
In other words, stay tuned …
***
52 comments
Typical cop bullshit. The cover up for themselves, their buddies, etc. et al
I feel sorry for Graham. He’d had been better off to collect evidence of his wife’s infidelity and try to get the upper hand in divorce court.
The cops protect their own, rarely do they go down. They are mostly untouchable.
Police who are funded by your tax dime to torture people.
see link http://humanrights.uchicago.edu/chicagotorture/victims.shtml
His divorce decree is a public record at the Richland County Courthouse.
Typical cop bullshit. The cover up for themselves, their buddies, etc. et al
I feel sorry for Graham. He’d had been better off to collect evidence of his wife’s infidelity and try to get the upper hand in divorce court.
The cops protect their own, rarely do they go down. They are mostly untouchable.
Police who are funded by your tax dime to torture people.
see link http://humanrights.uchicago.edu/chicagotorture/victims.shtml
His divorce decree is a public record at the Richland County Courthouse.
Another of Leon Lott’s boyz. What’s in the water cooler at RCSD’s executive division?
I have posted here a few times before. Mostly a reader. But whenever I read posts, blogs, news stories online CorruptioninColumbia is always mouthing off about law enforcement. Obviously got an ax to grind with any type of police official, especially someone that has been promoted or made a career for themselves protecting others. Those that can’t just sit back and criticize others!
Hi blue light! If you had read all or most of my posts, you would know that I am also usually supportive of the front line officers, the ones who do the REAL work and are truly risking their lives to keep us safe. I have quite a few friends who fall into that category and who I think highly of.
You are right though, that I have very little use or respect for a lot of the self-promoting, self-serving, cads who manage to float to the very top positions in a lot of agencies. Most of the ones at the very top will not hesitate to sacrifice a front-line officer for their own gain or to cover their own misdeeds.
Yo Red Light
see link for full story
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-03-13/news/36780959_1_substantial-sentence-fbi-colleagues-fbi-veteran
FBI Official Gets Six Years
,March 13, 2008
In a courtroom crowded with his friends from law enforcement, a former FBI official was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison for torturing his girlfriend at knifepoint and gunpoint during a six-hour ordeal in her Crystal City high-rise apartment.
Carl L. Spicocchi, 55, a 19-year FBI veteran
who had run the Toledo office and was on temporary assignment in
Washington, pleaded guilty in Arlington County Circuit Court last year
to two felony counts of abduction and using a firearm in the Aug. 23
attack.
Spicocchi, who is married, believed his girlfriend was dating another man and attacked her in a jealous rage, according to court records. But the girlfriend, who said she was too fearful of Spicocchi to appear in court yesterday, said in a statement that she was not unfaithful.
“He thought she was cheating on him, but she wasn’t,” said Assistant
Commonwealth’s Attorney Lisa Bergman. The attack “came completely out of the blue,” Bergman said in the statement, read by Bergman, the
woman gave this account: When she came home that day, she found
Spicocchi hiding in a closet, armed with a gun and a 10-inch knife. He
stripped her and wrapped her in tape, then dragged her around the
apartment by her hair. He forced the gun into her mouth and held the
knife to her throat. He beat her repeatedly. He told her that he would
cut open her veins and that, because of his training, he knew how long
it would take the blood to drain from her body.
“He said I had met my match,” she said in the statement.
He told her that he planned to kill her and that she would soon join her
father, who had died 10 months earlier. He said that he would write a
check for $100,000 from her account and flee to South America after she was dead and that he had a plane ticket for a 6 a.m. flight.
You have no clue. CorruptionInColumbia knows of what he speaks. And of whom he speaks.
I do, eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L31GdKw27QI
Mike Ruppert is a former LAPD narcotics detective whose video will detail local cops dealing heroin and cocaine in our communities.
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQR2z4YCzDw
DEA supervisor Mike Levine says local cops are dealing heroin and cocaine in our communities
google his name with the word CIA
http://ciadrugs.homestead.com/files/ml-kiki-north.html
Another of Leon Lott’s boyz. What’s in the water cooler at RCSD’s executive division?
I have posted here a few times before. Mostly a reader. But whenever I read posts, blogs, news stories online CorruptioninColumbia is always mouthing off about law enforcement. Obviously got an ax to grind with any type of police official, especially someone that has been promoted or made a career for themselves protecting others. Those that can’t just sit back and criticize others!
Hi blue light! If you had read all or most of my posts, you would know that I am also usually supportive of the front line officers, the ones who do the REAL work and are truly risking their lives to keep us safe. I have quite a few friends who fall into that category and who I think highly of.
You are right though, that I have very little use or respect for a lot of the self-promoting, self-serving, cads who manage to float to the very top positions in a lot of agencies. Most of the ones at the very top will not hesitate to sacrifice a front-line officer for their own gain or to cover their own misdeeds.
Yo Red Light
see link for full story
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-03-13/news/36780959_1_substantial-sentence-fbi-colleagues-fbi-veteran
FBI Official Gets Six Years
,March 13, 2008
In a courtroom crowded with his friends from law enforcement, a former FBI official was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison for torturing his girlfriend at knifepoint and gunpoint during a six-hour ordeal in her Crystal City high-rise apartment.
Carl L. Spicocchi, 55, a 19-year FBI veteran
who had run the Toledo office and was on temporary assignment in
Washington, pleaded guilty in Arlington County Circuit Court last year
to two felony counts of abduction and using a firearm in the Aug. 23
attack.
Spicocchi, who is married, believed his girlfriend was dating another man and attacked her in a jealous rage, according to court records. But the girlfriend, who said she was too fearful of Spicocchi to appear in court yesterday, said in a statement that she was not unfaithful.
“He thought she was cheating on him, but she wasn’t,” said Assistant
Commonwealth’s Attorney Lisa Bergman. The attack “came completely out of the blue,” Bergman said in the statement, read by Bergman, the
woman gave this account: When she came home that day, she found
Spicocchi hiding in a closet, armed with a gun and a 10-inch knife. He
stripped her and wrapped her in tape, then dragged her around the
apartment by her hair. He forced the gun into her mouth and held the
knife to her throat. He beat her repeatedly. He told her that he would
cut open her veins and that, because of his training, he knew how long
it would take the blood to drain from her body.
“He said I had met my match,” she said in the statement.
He told her that he planned to kill her and that she would soon join her
father, who had died 10 months earlier. He said that he would write a
check for $100,000 from her account and flee to South America after she was dead and that he had a plane ticket for a 6 a.m. flight.
You have no clue. CorruptionInColumbia knows of what he speaks. And of whom he speaks.
I do, eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L31GdKw27QI
Mike Ruppert is a former LAPD narcotics detective whose video will detail local cops dealing heroin and cocaine in our communities.
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQR2z4YCzDw
DEA supervisor Mike Levine says local cops are dealing heroin and cocaine in our communities
google his name with the word CIA
http://ciadrugs.homestead.com/files/ml-kiki-north.html
First met Lott when he was campaigning for his 1st term as Richland County Sheriff. He “walked” in the Okra Strut handing out campaign material and shaking a few hands. Nothing flashy, just a one on one with potential voters.
Both Johnson and Scott are beginning to attract more flies than a dead beaver
At some point I expect Lott to step up and take the high road
If not, then fuck him
He won’t.
To view the arrest records of over 1,000 police officers arrested for rape and pedophilia see copwatch forum and scroll down to law enforcement sex offenders
http://www.copwatch.net/forums/
First met Lott when he was campaigning for his 1st term as Richland County Sheriff. He “walked” in the Okra Strut handing out campaign material and shaking a few hands. Nothing flashy, just a one on one with potential voters.
Both Johnson and Scott are beginning to attract more flies than a dead beaver
At some point I expect Lott to step up and take the high road
If not, then fuck him
He won’t.
To view the arrest records of over 1,000 police officers arrested for rape and pedophilia see copwatch forum and scroll down to law enforcement sex offenders
http://www.copwatch.net/forums/
Billy, I have told you and told you. I control this type situations. I told you I had ruled that Kana is/was the bad person here and everything we can do to discredit her will be done. I ruled that all these things that Dan, my dear friend and fellow Democrat, may have done were of no consequence. All charges and allegations against him have been dismissed confidentially. It is completely at my discretion what is “bad” and what is “acceptable” behavior concerning lawyers and judges. My rules are at my whim and depend solely on who has enough power to help me if I need them. I know you have a list of lawyer-legislators that I own. I have told SLED and Bill Nettles, my other dear friend, that nothing is to be done to Dan as my honest Office of Disciiplainary Counsel says so. Now, get over it.
http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/ will help you gain control of your criminal justice system
This debacle is so much worse that is being presented in the press or even on this website. Harpo and Toal are trying their best to keep it all hidden, but it’s out there.
Billy, I have told you and told you. I control this type situations. I told you I had ruled that Kana is/was the bad person here and everything we can do to discredit her will be done. I ruled that all these things that Dan, my dear friend and fellow Democrat, may have done were of no consequence. All charges and allegations against him have been dismissed confidentially. It is completely at my discretion what is “bad” and what is “acceptable” behavior concerning lawyers and judges. My rules are at my whim and depend solely on who has enough power to help me if I need them. I know you have a list of lawyer-legislators that I own. I have told SLED and Bill Nettles, my other dear friend, that nothing is to be done to Dan as my honest Office of Disciiplainary Counsel says so. Now, get over it.
http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/ will help you gain control of your criminal justice system
This debacle is so much worse that is being presented in the press or even on this website. Harpo and Toal are trying their best to keep it all hidden, but it’s out there.
Until South Carolina voters and taxpayers, the primary consumers of the criminal justice system, take control of their criminal justice system by creating volunteer civilian review police boards with subpoena power the inmates will continue to run the system.
To create a civilian review police board contact http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org/
Until South Carolina voters and taxpayers, the primary consumers of the criminal justice system, take control of their criminal justice system by creating volunteer civilian review police boards with subpoena power the inmates will continue to run the system.
To create a civilian review police board contact http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org/
A quick search of the internet reveals that Mr. Graham was convicted of Arson and attempt to defraud insurance for trying to burn down his own home. Come on Fits, you can do better than that…. If you are going to make shit up, just make it up don’t twist it because it is easily found to be false.
That’s a lie on many different levels. He was charged years ago and the Attorney General has shown no interest in prosecuting the case. It was not his house; he had no insurance to collect and no incentive to burn anything.
You are correct it wasn’t his house. It was his belongings in the home that he was trying to collect the insurance money on. He was convicted.
Interestingly, he was also convicted for filing false police reports and order to leave Johnson alone.
Sometimes, there is no story. Look somewhere else.
You’re still lying. He was never convicted of anything concerning the house or the alleged arson. Name the date and his sentence. You can’t do it because it didn’t happen.
A quick search of the internet reveals that Mr. Graham was convicted of Arson and attempt to defraud insurance for trying to burn down his own home. Come on Fits, you can do better than that…. If you are going to make shit up, just make it up don’t twist it because it is easily found to be false.
That’s a lie on many different levels. He was charged years ago and the Attorney General has shown no interest in prosecuting the case. It was not his house; he had no insurance to collect and no incentive to burn anything.
You are correct it wasn’t his house. It was his belongings in the home that he was trying to collect the insurance money on. He was convicted.
Interestingly, he was also convicted for filing false police reports and order to leave Johnson alone.
Sometimes, there is no story. Look somewhere else.
You’re still lying. He was never convicted of anything concerning the house or the alleged arson. Name the date and his sentence. You can’t do it because it didn’t happen.
Whoa! He was accused by Sonny Crockett of making false statements? Wake up.
Whoa! He was accused by Sonny Crockett of making false statements? Wake up.
So why did they handcuff the man in public, put him in jail, and then get a search warrant for a misdemeanor??? Isn’t there some merit to his accusation. So what, he just randomly picks someone he doesn’t know and accuses him of sleeping with his wife and reports it to the police department. Obviously Graham was pissed off? What would make a man that pissed off to report him to his police department? Hmmm, maybe if they slept with his wife.
So why did they handcuff the man in public, put him in jail, and then get a search warrant for a misdemeanor??? Isn’t there some merit to his accusation. So what, he just randomly picks someone he doesn’t know and accuses him of sleeping with his wife and reports it to the police department. Obviously Graham was pissed off? What would make a man that pissed off to report him to his police department? Hmmm, maybe if they slept with his wife.
Secondly Graham is now being charged with arson and insurance fraud. And this coincidentally happens at the same time as these “false accusations”. There is only one problem here, or two. Graham doesn’t own the property that caught on fire and he didn’t own rental insurance. Why would a man set his rented home on fire that he doesn’t own and didn’t have insurance on? All this crap is still pending. I just which a decent attorney would take his case up and sue the pants off this police department.
Secondly Graham is now being charged with arson and insurance fraud. And this coincidentally happens at the same time as these “false accusations”. There is only one problem here, or two. Graham doesn’t own the property that caught on fire and he didn’t own rental insurance. Why would a man set his rented home on fire that he doesn’t own and didn’t have insurance on? All this crap is still pending. I just which a decent attorney would take his case up and sue the pants off this police department.
It’s amazing how Dan sit amongst people that he is without sin and bullsh*t! By virtue of his position he passes judgment that changes peoples lives. He is Leon Lott pick to have the 5th Circuit Solicitors position which gives RCSD the upper hand in prosecuting cases (drug) that RCSD wasn’t able to prosecute due to incompetent investigation and paperwork. Dan infidelities was swept under the rug but, Leon did take action on lower level deputies for alleged inappropriate relationships which resulted in lower ranking deputies being suspended and parking their take home cars for six months. This is classic piss poor leadership at the highest level. Wake up Richland County and lets make a change, its time.
It’s amazing how Dan sit amongst people that he is without sin and bullsh*t! By virtue of his position he passes judgment that changes peoples lives. He is Leon Lott pick to have the 5th Circuit Solicitors position which gives RCSD the upper hand in prosecuting cases (drug) that RCSD wasn’t able to prosecute due to incompetent investigation and paperwork. Dan infidelities was swept under the rug but, Leon did take action on lower level deputies for alleged inappropriate relationships which resulted in lower ranking deputies being suspended and parking their take home cars for six months. This is classic piss poor leadership at the highest level. Wake up Richland County and lets make a change, its time.