Grand jury indictments allege widespread racketeering

The U-S Attorney in South Carolina, Peter McCoy Jr., announces a grand jury returned a 147-count superseding indictment against 40 defendants in what he calls the largest federal racketeering conspiracy in state history.  The allegations center on a criminal enterprise in which Department of Corrections’ inmates used contraband cell phones to orchestrate murder, kidnapping, firearms distribution, and an international drug operation.  The investigation began in 2017 and involved a number of law enforcement agencies that included the sheriff’s offices in Anderson and Pickens counties.  “To anyone who would try to harm the people of South Carolina with violence, intimidation or extortion, we are coming after you wherever you are,” said McCoy.  “Neither pandemic nor prison walls will provide refuge from the full force of the federal government.”