LEXINGTON — Swansea Mayor Jerald Sanders pleaded not guilty July 27 to accusations that he directed town funds to an account for his personal charity and charges of misconduct in office.
The small-town mayor declined to comment after entering his plea at the Lexington County Courthouse saying, "I don't have a comment right now, but I'll have a lot to say later."
After the hearing, Sanders released a statement through Columbia political strategist Michael Wukela: "While this has been difficult for me and my family, we have and continue to fully cooperate with SLED and the Attorney General’s Office in this matter and we look forward to the day when all the facts are released and the people can see the whole story. I am confident that, when that day comes, I will be cleared of these allegations and be able to put this whole ordeal behind us."
His attorneys are Bakari Sellers, a former state representative, and Alexandra Benevento.
Sanders is currently suspended from office by order of the governor. Mayor Pro-Tempore Woodrow Davis is serving as acting mayor of the town of 900 about 20 miles south of Columbia.
If convicted of all charges, Sanders faces up to 15 years in prison.
In addition to the criminal embezzlement and misconduct charges, Sanders faces a probe from the state Ethics Commission. The watchdog agency found probable cause to investigate him on July 15.
In the ethics complaint, Sanders is accused of giving his charity, the Halo Community Foundation, $4,502.96 in unauthorized funds from the Lexington County town between December 2019 and January 2020, according to a complaint The Post and Courier obtained from the commission.
The money Sanders gave the Halo Community Foundation was donated to the town by residents of the town of Swansea, the complaint said.
Sanders, as well as Marion Wright and Rubin Jackson, are listed as the executives in charge of the foundation.
The Town Council did not know about or approve this transaction. When Sanders was asked about the transfer, he “became belligerent and defensive,” the report said.
