Former South Carolina state lawmaker Rick Quinn will be sentenced on Monday in connection with the ongoing #ProbeGate investigation into corruption in state government.
Quinn – an influential former majority leader – pleaded guilty nearly two months ago to one count of misconduct in office and was expected to be sentenced weeks ago.
He is facing up to one year behind bars, and S.C. first circuit solicitor David Pascoe has asked circuit court judge Carmen Mullen to give Quinn the maximum sentence for his crime.
“There is not a legislator who could consciously duplicate this corruption,” Pascoe told Mullen during a mid-December court hearing, describing Quinn as the “most corrupt lawmaker” in Columbia.
“I ask that he serve every day of that (one-year sentence),” Pascoe said, urging Mullen to “send a message” to other corrupt legislators.
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[/timed-content-server]News of Quinn’s sentencing was first reported by Meg Kinnard of The Associated Press.
#ProbeGate has centered around powerful corporate and governmental interests represented by the consulting firm of Quinn’s influential father – “Republican” political strategist Richard Quinn.
According to Pascoe, the elder Quinn was the ringleader of a conspiracy with “tentacles” throughout state government.
“He used legislators, groomed legislators and conspired with legislators to violate multiple state ethics acts,” Pascoe said during a court hearing last October. “All so he could make money.”
“He was a very effective but illegal lobbyist,” Pascoe said, referring to the elder Quinn. “All under the radar.”
Pascoe isn’t going after the “sins of the father,” though. A criminal conspiracy charge against the elder Quinn was dropped last month as part of his son’s plea deal, with the expectation that Richard Quinn would provide material information related to other targets of the ongoing investigation.
As this news site exclusively reported last month, though, that didn’t happen.
Where do things stand now?
Guess we’ll find out in court next week …
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