A federal grand jury in Columbia handed a nine-count indictment against two people in connection with a $550,000 bribery plot involving a South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) corrections officer, two SCDC convicts, and several family members and associates.
- Courtney Briggs, 39, of Sumter County, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Larry Williamson, 51, a former inmate incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, five counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of using an interstate facility to facilitate bribery, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of marijuana.
In addition, five more people have consented to plead guilty to their participation in the scheme:
- Lowanda Atkinson, 52, of Kershaw County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Atkinson served as a corrections officer in SCDC and was assigned to Lee Correctional Institution.
- Jason Brown, 43, an SCDC inmate, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Adriana Conyers, 37, of Sumter County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Christopher Hickman, 46, of Richland County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
- Mary Ann Hickman-Brown, 64, of Clarendon County, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
According to court records, Lowanda Atkinson was a prison officer at SCDC from 2007 until 2023. At the time of her resignation, she was a corporal assigned to the property room at Lee Correctional Institution, where she was responsible for maintaining inmate property, searching for contraband, and enforcing contraband rules.
Atkinson is accused of taking payments totaling more than $550,000 from inmates Jason Brown and Williamson, as well as Jason Brown’s family and accomplices, in exchange for transporting contraband.
She allegedly smuggled phones, phone accessories, tobacco, and marijuana inside Lee, where Jason Brown and Williamson sold and distributed the contraband to other convicts.
She is accused of accepting a percentage of the financial revenues from illegal sales and bribery via financial apps Zelle and Apple Cash.
Authorities claim Atkinson used the money to buy a luxurious SUV, trendy clothes, and thousands of dollars in cosmetic operations. Each defendant is facing up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
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