Three former SCDOT employees plead guilty in public corruption investigation

Three former South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) employees have pleaded guilty to charges of corruption in a kickback scheme that goes back several years, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Charges were filed last summer, alleging bribery, conspiracy and in one case stolen property.

The pleas, listed in a release by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office include:

Joe Edward Butler, former SCDOT inspector, pleaded guilty to:

Allen Kent Ray, former SCDOT contractor, pleaded guilty to:

Curtis C. Singleton, former head of SCDOT’s signal shop in District 1, pleaded guilty to:

“The SCDOT acknowledges the guilty pleas entered by two former employees who were involved in stealing traffic signal equipment from SCDOT and selling them for personal financial gain,” SCDOT says in a statement. “This has been an ongoing, multi-year investigation after allegations of wrong-doing were reported by the agency to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). SCDOT thanks SLED for its assistance to date in this matter. SCDOT takes fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer funds seriously and will continue to cooperate with SLED and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office until this matter is brought to a conclusion.”