S. Carolina Legislator Convicted

COLUMBIA, S. C. —  Jurors in federal court took just two hours Saturday to convict a state legislator on two counts of vote-selling charges.

State Rep. Paul Derrick became the fourth South Carolina lawmaker to be convicted as a result of a federal undercover investigation of Statehouse corruption; 10 others have pleaded guilty. The investigation has resulted in indictments against 22 people, including 15 current or former legislators.

Derrick, a Republican, was charged with conspiring to sell his legislative vote during the 1990 session.

He also was accused of accepting $1,000 from lobbyist-turned-FBI informant Ron Cobb to support a bill that would have allowed voters to decide whether they wanted betting on horse and dog racing. The bill did not pass.

“I’ve been advised not to comment,” Derrick said as he left the federal courthouse after the verdict.

“We have no comment at this time,” said Vinton D. Lide, one of Derrick’s attorneys. He refused to answer questions about whether Derrick would appeal.

The verdict means Derrick will automatically be expelled from the House. He was suspended after his Feb. 20 indictment.

Derrick, 43, an optometrist, remains free on bond pending sentencing. He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of $500,000. U.S. District Judge Falcon Hawkins will sentence him in about two months, U.S. Atty. Bart Daniel said.

The prosecutor called the conviction “an important step in Operation Lost Trust” the federal corruption investigation.

Investigators hope to finish the probe by the end of summer.