Fifth Circuit Solicitor and Director of Communications Indicted for Fraud

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Daniel Edward Johnson, age 47, Fifth Circuit Solicitor a resident of Blythewood, and Nicole Halliett Holland, age 49, Director of Communications a resident of Columbia, were charged in a 26-count Indictment by a Grand Jury in Columbia for Wire Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1343; Mail Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1341; Conspiracy to Commit Wire & Mail Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1349; and Theft of Federal Funds, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 666.  

 Ms. Lydon stated the penalty faced by the Defendants for violations of Title 18, United States Code, §§ 1341, 1343, and 1349 is imprisonment not exceeding twenty years, with a potential fine up to $250,000.  The penalty faced by the Defendants for a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 666 is imprisonment not exceeding ten years, with a potential fine up to $250,000.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Winston D. Holliday, Jr., Alyssa L. Richardson, and William C. Lewis of the Columbia office are prosecuting the case.

A copy of the Indictment is attached to this email.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.