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South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson announced updates this week in the ongoing “Prison Empire” investigation, a massive probe of multi-faceted criminality originating behind the walls of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC).
According to a news release from the attorney general’s office, Jennifer Nicole Burns – described as a “major target” of the Prison Empire and Las Señoritas investigations – pleaded guilty to her charges in the Prison Empire probe on the morning of trial. Burns was awaiting trial in connection with charges filed after law enforcement executed a search warrant at her residence in March of 2019. During the execution of the warrant, officers located approximately three kilograms of methamphetamine, a handgun, marijuana and $10,740 inside a safe in Burns’ bedroom.
Burns was distributing methamphetamine at the direction of her boyfriend, Warren Chastain, who is an inmate at the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) and had a direct connection to the Cartel. After initially indicating that she would cooperate with law enforcement, Burns fled South Carolina for Mexico where she lived among Cartel members for four years — continuing to facilitate trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine into the Upstate.
Burns pleaded guilty to Trafficking Methamphetamine, 400 Grams or More (Conspiracy); Trafficking Methamphetamine, 400 Grams or More; Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime; and Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana. Burns rejected the state’s global plea offer in both cases. Burns was sentenced to 55 years in prison by S.C. circuit court judge R. Lawton McIntosh.
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The state also secured a guilty verdict against William Russell Oliver on June 26, 2024, for Trafficking Methamphetamine, 28 Grams or More, but Less than 100 Grams, First Offense; Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime; and Possession of Narcotics in Schedule II (Hydrocodone).
Oliver stood trial on charges tied to a February 16, 2018 search of his residence. During that search, officers located approximately 93 grams of methamphetamine, a handgun, 10 tablets of hydrocodone, drug paraphernalia and items commonly used for drug distribution. Oliver was also charged as a co-conspirator in trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin during the investigation. On July 18, 2024, Oliver was sentenced to 25 years in prison by McIntosh.
As previously reported, “Prison Empire” ran from behind SCDC walls between 2013 and 2021. Incarcerated inmates coordinated drug trafficking – and other criminal activity – with co-conspirators outside of the prisons, including groups in Greenville, Pickens and Anderson counties.
Using contraband phones, “Prison Empire” defendants trafficked methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs. The investigation also spawned firearms, burglary and kidnapping charges. Some of those were tied to the abduction of an 18-year-old pregnant woman in Edgefield County, S.C. – a woman whose father owed a drug-related debt to one of the ringleaders of the operation.
This news outlet has reported on “Prison Empire” since the first arrests were announced nearly four years ago – noting at the time how the investigation would “revive the debate over the jamming of cell phone signals in South Carolina’s correctional facilities.”
That debate has continued … with limited progress.
While Wilson’s office announced pleas for the above-named defendants, his office noted that all others charged in connection with the investigation were “presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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