Posted on 07/29/2004 12:05:36 PM PDT by Moose4
COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina's agriculture commissioner was arrested Thursday on charges of taking payoffs to protect a cockfighting ring.
Charles Sharpe, 65, was indicted on charges including extortion and money laundering. He was accused of accepting at least $20,000 from an organization involved in breeding and raising birds for cockfighting in exchange for helping the group avoid legal trouble.
Cockfighting is illegal in South Carolina.
Sharpe's lawyers said he is innocent.
U.S. Attorney J. Strom Thurmond Jr. said the South Carolina Gamefowl Management Association paid Sharpe to escort a law enforcement officer to their cockfighting building in Aiken County that was called "The Testing Facility." The group wanted to persuade the officer that the activities were legal.
Sharpe lied to the officer and said the fighting, which attracted spectators from multiple states, was legal because it was only used to test the "bloodline" and "heartiness" of the birds, Thurmond said.
"He was alleging that he had an opinion from the South Carolina attorney general's office," Thurmond said. The opinion was fake.
Sharpe didn't know the officer was working undercover for the FBI and recorded the conversation, according to the indictment.
The 24-page indictment said Sharpe took the payoffs in 2002 and 2003 while he was a state lawmaker and after he was elected to statewide office.
Thurmond also said Sharpe took campaign contributions to help pass legislation that benefited the group.
A former State Law Enforcement Division agent, Keith Stokes, also was charged in connection with the case. SLED Chief Robert Stewart said Stokes was fired in February as a result of the investigation.
Sharpe, a Republican, served in the state House from 1985 until 2002 and was chairman of the Agriculture Committee. In 2002, he was elected agriculture commissioner.
If convicted, Sharpe faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each of the two counts of extortion; 20 years and a fine of $500,000 on each of the seven counts of money laundering; and five years and a fine of $250,000 on each of three counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, called cockfighting barbaric and called for Sharpe's resignation.
"In exchange for thousands of dollars, he has allegedly used his connections and his stature not only to enrich himself, but also to provide protection for an organized criminal network of cockfighters," Pacelle said. "Commissioner Sharpe should resign from office effective immediately."
I hope they throw the book at this moron.
By the way, the Agriculture Commissioner in SC is not appointed, he's directly elected, so this moron's stupid aura shouldn't rub off on Governor Sanford (we hope). And yes, that US Attorney is none other than Ol' Strom's youngest son--the youngest US attorney in the country, I believe. I don't think Strom Jr. is 35 yet.
(MODS: Do we have to excerpt AP articles? I didn't think so, but if we do, mea culpa, can somebody snip this? Thanks.)
}:-)4
Sick bastids were involved with cockfighting!
Our former (NC) Ag Commissioner, Meg Scott Phipps, is now in a federal penitentiary.
MKM
Now that's just plain sick!
I just want to slap him silly.
(OK, what I really want to do can't be printed here).
I think Alexandra Kerry is looking for her hat, only someone took the question mark off.
Yeah, I was making a joke with a guy in the office, imagining what Sharpe was saying..."uh, we're just breeding them, as, uh....mmmmascots! Yeah, mascots! USC Gamecock mascots, that's the ticket!"
Sigh.
}:-)4
Someone told me that the University of SC won't allow the 'Cocks' logo to be used anymore. Is that true?
Naw, they're still the Cocks. Us Clemson folks call them 'Coots'. They call us 'Taters'.
I still see "COCKS" shirts, hats, etc. all over the place down here. Some of the stores are selling a line of merchandise they call "Bad Cock". The USC sports publication is called "Spurs and Feathers." They does loves their Chokin' Chickens here in Columbia, but this story is the first I've ever heard in 7 years here of actual cockfighting in South Carolina.
Thing is, if I remember correctly, the "Gamecock" name actually came from a person...I think it was a Revolutionary War general (Thomas Sumter?) nicknamed the "Fighting Gamecock" for his scrappy attitude and never-say-die fighting style.
PETA tried to get USC to change their logo and name from "Gamecocks" last year, because of the cruelty aspect of cockfighting. They at least wanted USC to remove the spurs from the mascot. USC told 'em to go pound sand. (For once, USC did something right!)
}:-)4
Can anyone be suprised that this type of thing happens? I am surprised it doesn't happen more often to be honest. With the huge imbalance between mala prohibita laws versus mala en se laws, its amazing more people in elected positions don't get caught in scenarios where their disagreement with the mala prohibita law gets them into trouble. The solution for this type of problem is to repeal all feelgood and idiotic laws like the banning of cockfighting. Do we really want to use our resources to track down people who want to fight chickens when we've got terrorists and rapists and murderers running around? Do we have room in our jails and prisons for chicken-fighters? I don't think so. Create enough laws, and anybody and everybody will be in violation of one of them sooner or later.
Case in point:
http://sierratimes.com/04/02/25/ar_rocks.htm
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Unhappily, this like dog fighting is something that happens all over the country and the world.
Bump.
However, the fact that the football team sucks mightily has nothing to do with it.
So do you live in Clemson??? Getting ready to send my son back to Clemson for another year of college.
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