Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri
A. Lydon announced today that nine individuals, including seven law enforcement
officers, have been indicted in federal court in South Carolina on visa fraud
and drug charges.
One of the schemes alleged in the Indictment involved
fraudulent U Nonimmigrant Visas (“U-Visas”), which are set aside for victims of
certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse as a result of the
crime. To obtain a U-Visa, a law
enforcement official must certify that the alien is assisting that law
enforcement agency in the investigation or prosecution of the crime of which
the alien was a victim. According to the
Indictment, four officers helped individuals obtain fraudulent U-Visas by
taking bribes for fraudulent certifications and creating fraudulent incident
reports indicating that aliens were victims of crimes.
The Indictment further alleges that officers took bribes in
exchange for protecting methamphetamine and cocaine or the proceeds of drug
trafficking.
The charges as to each defendant are:
Springfield Police Department Chief Lacra Sharod Jenkins:
Conspiracy, Visa Fraud, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute
Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug
Trafficking Crime;
Springfield Police Department Officer Allan Hunter, Jr.:
Conspiracy, Visa Fraud, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute
Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug
Trafficking Crime;
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Carolyn Colter
Franklin: Conspiracy, Visa Fraud, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to
Distribute Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of
a Drug Trafficking Crime;
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nathaniel Miller
Shazier, III: Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute
Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug
Trafficking Crime
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Stanley Lavalle
Timmons: Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled
Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking
Crime;
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputy James
Albert Tucker: Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute
Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug
Trafficking Crime;
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Willie Paul David
Rogers: Conspiracy and Visa Fraud;
Saurabhkumar B.
Patel, of Orangeburg, South Carolina: Conspiracy; and
Tarang Patel, of Newport, Kentucky: Conspiracy and Visa
Fraud.
If convicted, Jenkins, Hunter, Franklin, Timmons, Shazier,
and Tucker face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Rogers, Saurabhkumar Patel, and Tarang Patel
face a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
“With this Indictment, we honor the hard work and dedication
of the very fine officers across South Carolina who put on the police uniform
every day and risk their lives to protect the rest of us,” said U.S. Attorney
Lydon. “If these allegations are proved,
these defendants do not deserve to wear the badge and should not be allowed to
bring disrepute on the overwhelming majority of men and women in blue who serve
South Carolina with integrity. We will
not tolerate the hypocrisy of those who would pretend to enforce the law, while
violating it themselves as they seek to line their own pockets. We call that public corruption, and we will
always call it out.”
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, with assistance from ICE - Homeland Security Investigations and
the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys
William Camden Lewis and Alyssa Leigh Richardson of the Columbia office.
U.S. Attorney Lydon stated that all charges in the
Indictment are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent
until and unless proven guilty.
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