Controversial SC Dem Greene Pays $10K But Can’t Afford Lawyer; State Investigates

If the saga of Alvin Greene, the unemployed man who happened to win the South Carolina Democratic primary for US Senate by a huge margin, had you wondering where he obtained the $10,400 in cash needed to pay the candidate filing fee, you are not alone. The State of South Carolina is also very interested. The reason is the State of South Carolina recently provided Greene with a public defender for a previous, unrelated charge, something he should not have been entitled to if he had sufficient funds to afford one. From the “State” newspaper:

SLED [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] and the 5th Circuit solicitor’s office are investigating the finances of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene to see whether any laws have been broken in the way he has been representing his financial situation to the state court system.

SLED will use a new state law that allows the agency to issue an administrative subpoena to financial institutions, agency director Reggie Lloyd confirmed Sunday.

Gov. Mark Sanford signed the new law last Thursday. The law requires banks to turn over to SLED basic information about account holders in cases of suspected financial wrongdoing.

If Greene lied about his finances in official court documents, and as a result had the state pay for his lawyer, that might result in criminal charges.

While most of the damage to the South Carolina Democratic Party as a result of Greene's nomination has probably already been done, it further hurts the party to see his name appear in the headlines.