Following the announcement of charges against eight individuals in a public corruption scheme, four have entered guilty pleas. The case involves two former city council members and was addressed in federal court.
The defendants who pleaded guilty are Jerome Sydney Heyward, 61, a former North Charleston City Council member; Sandino Savalas Moses, 50, also a former city council member; Donavan Laval Moten, 46, founder of Core4Success Foundation; and Aaron Charles-Lee Hicks, 37, a resident of North Charleston.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel accepted the pleas. Sentencing will occur after reviewing reports from the U.S. Probation Office. Heyward and Moten could face up to 20 years in prison, fines of $500,000 each, and three years of supervised release. Hicks faces similar prison time but with a fine of $250,000. Moses faces up to three years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and one year of supervised release.
The FBI Columbia Field Office and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Limehouse and Whit Sowards are leading the prosecution.