Score:   1
Docket Number:   D-SC  3:18-cr-00863
Case Name:   USA v. Johnson et al
  Press Releases:
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.

# # # # #

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA -- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that a sentencing hearing has been scheduled in the case of United States v. Daniel Edward Johnson, Case No. 3:18-863.  Johnson has pleaded guilty to one count of Wire Fraud.  Senior United States District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie will preside.

 

WHEN:       Tuesday, June 4, 2019, at 2:30 p.m.

WHERE:     Courtroom I

                       Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Courthouse

                       901 Richland Street

                       Columbia, South Carolina 29201       

 

#####

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Nicole Halliett Holland, age 50, former Director of Communications for the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and a resident of Columbia, South Carolina, was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to committing Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud.  Senior United States District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie presided.  Holland also was ordered to pay $11,164.60 in restitution to the Solicitor’s Office.

Facts presented in court established that from 2011 to March 2018, Holland was employed by Daniel Edward Johnson at the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. During her time of employment, Nicole Holland used Solicitor’s Office funds to pay for personal expenses.

Using a Solicitor’s Office credit card issued to her for office-related expenses, she made the following unauthorized purchases, among others:

•        In May 2017, various hotel stays at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, totaling over $2,700. These charges correlate to Count 11 of the Indictment, which is the wire fraud for the August 7, 2017, payment covering these personal expenses.

•        In March 2017, a $1,020 expense for a family member’s orthodontics treatment that Holland labelled as “tournament sponsorship.” This charge correlates to Count 19, the mailing of the Bank of America statement ending on March 8, 2017, which contained this expense.   

 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 prosecuted the case.

#####

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Daniel Edward Johnson, age 48, former Fifth Circuit Solicitor and resident of Blythewood, South Carolina, pled guilty in federal court to Wire Fraud.  Senior United States District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted the guilty plea and scheduled Johnson’s sentencing for June 4, 2019.

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.  In pleading guilty to the scheme, Johnson acknowledged that a November 2016 payment by Kershaw County covered personal expenses on the October 2016 credit card statement.  That statement contained the following fraudulent transactions:

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 attributable to Dan Johnson is approximately $44,317.57.  Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, with a potential fine up to $250,000. 

“Today’s plea will go a long way in restoring the public’s confidence in our justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon.  “The law comes in one size, and one size fits all.  It fits the rich man and the poor man.  It fits the citizen and the elected official.  It fits the prosecuted and the prosecutor, and it certainly fits Dan Johnson.  To the fine men and women of the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and to Solicitor Gipson, we know you welcome this day, as you move forward, out from under the cloud of Dan Johnson’s conduct.  We look forward to continuing to partner with you to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice and to protect the citizens of South Carolina.  I would also like to express my appreciation to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, with whom we worked closely to bring about justice today.”

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 Leigh Richardson, and William C. Lewis of the Columbia office are prosecuting the case.

#####

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.

 

#####

163110130790.pdf

 

Description: The fiscal year of the data file obtained from the AOUSC
Format: YYYY

Description: The code of the federal judicial circuit where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: The code of the federal judicial district where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: The code of the district office where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: Docket number assigned by the district to the case
Format: A7

Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which cannot be modified by the court
Format: A3

Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which can be modified by the court
Format: A3

Description: A sequential number indicating whether a case is an original proceeding or a reopen
Format: N5

Description: Case type associated with the current defendant record
Format: A2

Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, defendant number, and reopen sequence number
Format: A18

Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, and reopen sequence number
Format: A15

Description: The status of the defendant as assigned by the AOUSC
Format: A2

Description: A code indicating the fugitive status of a defendant
Format: A1

Description: The date upon which a defendant became a fugitive
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which a fugitive defendant was taken into custody
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date when a case was first docketed in the district court
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which proceedings in a case commenced on charges pending in the district court where the defendant appeared, or the date of the defendant’s felony-waiver of indictment
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: A code used to identify the nature of the proceeding
Format: N2

Description: The date when a defendant first appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: A code indicating the event by which a defendant appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: A2

Description: A code indicating the type of legal counsel assigned to a defendant
Format: N2

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE1
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE1
Format: A3

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the second highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE2
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE2
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE2
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE2
Format: A3

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the third highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE3
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE3
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE3
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE3
Format: A3

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the fourth highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE4
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE4
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE4
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE4
Format: A3

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the fifth highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE5
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE5
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE5
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE5
Format: A3

Description: The FIPS code used to indicate the county or parish where an offense was committed
Format: A5

Description: The date of the last action taken on the record
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which judicial proceedings before the court concluded
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which the final sentence is recorded on the docket
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which the case was closed
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The total fine imposed at sentencing for all offenses of which the defendant was convicted and a fine was imposed
Format: N8

Description: A count of defendants filed including inter-district transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants filed excluding inter-district transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of original proceedings commenced
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants filed whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated including interdistrict transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated excluding interdistrict transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of original proceedings terminated
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period including long term fugitives
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period excluding long term fugitives
Format: N1

Description: The source from which the data were loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: A10

Description: A sequential number indicating the iteration of the defendant record
Format: N2

Description: The date the record was loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: Statistical year ID label on data file obtained from the AOUSC which represents termination year
Format: YYYY

Data imported from FJC Integrated Database
F U C K I N G P E D O S R E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E