Former Fifth Circuit Solicitor Sentenced to Federal Prison

Dan Johnson Sentenced to Over One Year in Prison After Improperly Charging Over $44,000 to Office Credit Card

Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Daniel Edward Johnson, 48, former Fifth Circuit Solicitor and resident of Blythewood, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to Wire Fraud.

“A prosecutor’s duty is to enforce the law diligently, vigorously, and justly,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon.  “As Solicitor, Dan Johnson represented to his constituents, law enforcement, and the courts that he was enforcing the law while he violated it himself time and again.  Justice has been served, and we look forward to working with the fine men and women of the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and Solicitor Gipson as they move forward from under the cloud of Johnson’s conduct. We are grateful to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in holding him accountable.”

Facts presented in court established that Daniel Edward Johnson was the Fifth Circuit Solicitor from 2011 to 2018.  The Solicitor’s Office serves both Richland and Kershaw Counties and receives funding from both, as well as from the federal government.  Kershaw County pays the office-related credit card bills for select Solicitor’s Office employees.

During his time as Solicitor, Johnson used Solicitor’s Office funds to cover personal and non-office-related expenses.  Johnson was issued Solicitor’s Office credit cards reading “DAN JOHNSON, Fifth Circuit Sol Office.”  Using these cards, Johnson made a series of personal and non-office-related purchases, starting no later than 2016.  Johnson fraudulently used these cards over 100 times, improperly charging the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office over $44,000. Examples of some of the fraudulent transactions include:

    September 7, 2016, charge for $208.79, at the Elara by Hilton Grand Vacations in Las Vegas.

    September 7, 2016, charge for $911.48, at the Doubletree Magic Mile hotel in Chicago.

    October 1, 2016, charge for $685.07, to Copa Airlines, an airline based in Panama.

    October 5, 2016, charge for $137.22, at the Hilton Columbia Center in Columbia, SC

The total loss amount caused by Johnson’s fraudulent transactions is approximately $44,317.57.

Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Daniel Edward Johnson to one year and one day in federal prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of court-ordered supervision.  The additional day beyond one year makes Johnson eligible to receive up to 54 days of credit against his sentence for good behavior in prison.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).  Assistant United States Attorneys Winston D. Holliday, Jr., Alyssa Leigh Richardson, and William Camden Lewis of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.