Jim Merrill's cooperation in Statehouse corruption probe a boon for prosecutors, experts say
Former Rep. Jim Merrill’s decision to cooperate with investigators in the Statehouse corruption probe provides authorities with a high-value insider with intimate knowledge of how money flows and deals are cut in South Carolina’s capital.
Merrill, 50, resigned his seat hours before pleading guilty Friday to a misconduct charge in a deal that spared him jail time but requires him to be an open book with state and federal investigators. He must tell them what they want to know and testify when needed or risk the full brunt of the 29 remaining ethics charges against him that are being held in abeyance, special prosecutor David Pascoe told a judge.
The plea agreement could prove to be a boon for Pascoe and his team, bolstering open cases and revealing new lines of inquiry in a corruption probe now in its fourth year.
Merrill, a Daniel Island Republican, had been in office for 17 years and had served as House majority leader and as a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Affable, outgoing and politically savvy, he was well-positioned to study the inner workings of the Statehouse — from the secretive flow of caucus money to the behind-the-scenes machinations that enable laws to pass.
Read more: http://www.postandcourier.com/politics/jim-merrill-s-cooperation-in-statehouse-corruption-probe-a-boon/article_f0537274-8f43-11e7-a5e8-479e750bfa1e.html