Clean Sweep, Block Party & Gatekeeper

Attorney General Alan Wilson announces State Grand Jury indictments related to criminal activity within South Carolina prisons, including charges of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor and Child Sexual Abuse Material

COLUMBIA - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced seven indictments and ten arrest warrants resulting from multiple investigations from the ongoing partnership between the State Grand Jury Division of the Attorney General’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), and local law enforcement agencies. In total, the new indictments and charges total 57 counts against nine defendants.

“Criminal activity should not continue behind bars, especially when it’s facilitated by a contraband cell phone or those who carry a badge,” said Attorney General Alan Wilson. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an inmate facing life without parole or someone sworn to protect and keep the jails safe, if you commit a crime within prison walls, you will be held accountable."

Attorney General Wilson thanked all the investigative agencies involved for their hard work and cited this case as another example of cooperation among various agencies through the mechanism of the State Grand Jury, which has developed an initiative to focus on the problems of corruption and criminal activity driven from within South Carolina prisons.

“The State Grand Jury and the partnership between the Attorney General’s Office and federal, state, and local agencies have proven to be effective in addressing public corruption in our prison system,” Wilson said. "We’ve continued to focus on the problems contraband cell phones within prisons cause with corruption, financial crimes, and drug trafficking, but now we have allegations involving the victimization of a child from within the walls of SCDC. We are committed to bringing severe accountability for such alleged abuse.”

In the investigation known as “Clean Sweep,” the South Carolina State Grand Jury has issued indictments of four individuals in connection with an investigation into the Lee Correctional Institution, involving allegations of sexual abuse of a minor victim, the production of child sexual abuse material, and public corruption. These indictments followed a multi-jurisdictional investigation with cooperation among several law enforcement agencies in the area. According to the indictments, the State Grand Jury returned three indictments alleging the sexual abuse of a minor victim, corruption of public office, and the production of child sexual abuse material. Concerning the abuse of a minor, Jacob Nathaniel Lance, a Lee Correctional inmate, is alleged to have used a contraband cell phone from within the facility to perpetrate the abuse of the minor victim with his alleged co-conspirator, Abbygale El-Dier.  Lance was served with the State’s notice of intent to seek a sentence of Life Without Parole. 

The investigation also revealed the alleged corruption of a sworn correctional officer, Brittany Welch, who is alleged to have participated in the contraband conspiracy at Lee Correctional and enabled the access and availability of contraband to prison inmates. Additionally, Brian Keely, a kitchen worker at Lee Correctional, is alleged to have participated in the illegal contraband trade and to be in possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

In the investigation known as “Block Party,” two SCDC officers were indicted for offenses relating to illegal contraband in Broad River Correctional Institution, which led to the seizure of over 600 grams of methamphetamine, 200 grams of cocaine, and marijuana, tobacco, cell phones, and other electronics. 

In the investigation known as “Gatekeeper,” which focused on McCormick Correctional Institution, three additional correctional officers were indicted for their alleged participation in the illegal contraband trade within the prison. In July, the indictment of five other SCDC employees or officers had previously been announced.  

“People who wear badges and are sworn to uphold the law should be held to a higher standard,” SCDC Director Bryan Stirling said. “We will absolutely not tolerate officers and employees bringing contraband into our prisons. They break the public trust and make our prisons less safe for the inmates, staff, and public.”

Bond hearings were conducted on November 21, 2023, before the Honorable Jocelyn Newman.

The charges are listed below against the named individuals:

Clean Sweep:

     (1) Abbygale Alexandria El-Dier (Bond denied)

          2023-GS-47-30 (Greenville County)

          i. Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, First Degree (5 Counts): 25 Years to Life

          ii. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, First Degree (10 Counts): 3 to 20 Years

          iii. Criminal Conspiracy: 0 to 5 Years

     (2) Jacob Nathaniel Lance (Bond denied)

          2023-GS-47-30 (Greenville County)

          i. Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, First Degree (5 Counts): 25 Years to Life

          ii. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, First Degree (10 Counts): 3 to 20 Years

          iii. Criminal Conspiracy: 0 to 5 Years

     (3) Brittany Nicole Welch ($10,000 bond)

          2022-GS-47-31 (Greenville County)

          i. Misconduct in Office: 0 to 10 Years

          ii. Obstruction of Justice: 0 to 10 Years

     (4) Brian Darold Keely ($7500 bond)

          a. 2023-GS-47-32 (Lee County)

              i. Criminal Conspiracy: 0 to 5 Years

              ii. Furnish or Attempt to Furnish Contraband: 1 to 10 Years

          b. 2023A470010006-15 (10 Counts) (Sumter County)

              i. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree: 0 to 10 Years

Block Party:

     (5) Alexis Tucker ($10,000 bond)

          2023-GS-47-33 (Richland County)

          i. Trafficking Cocaine, 200-400 Grams: 25 Years

          ii. Trafficking Methamphetamine, 400 or More Grams: 25 Years

          iii. Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana: 0 to 5 Years

          iv. Furnishing Contraband to a Prisoner: 0 to 10 Years

          v. Misconduct in Office: 0 to 10 Years

          vi. Criminal Conspiracy: 0 to 5 Years

     (6) Jorge Romero-Navarro ($10,000 bond)

          2023-GS-47-33 (Richland County)

          i. Misconduct in Office: 0 to 10 Years

          ii. Criminal Conspiracy: 0 to 5 Years

Gatekeeper:

     (1) Whitney Thurmond ($10,000 bond)

           2023-GS-47-12 (McCormick County)

           i. Misconduct in Office: 0 to 10 Years

     (2) Dontai Parks ($7500 bond)

          2023-GS-47-11 (McCornick County)

          i. Misconduct in Office: 0 to 10 Years

     (3) Brandon Taylor (Hearing at a later date)

          2023-GS-47-13 (McCormick County)

          i. Misconduct in Office: 0 to 10 Years

Previously Indicted in July 2023 in Gatekeeper were the following 18 counts against 5 defendants:

      (1) Brittany Marie Pixley

            2022-GS-47-27 (McCormick County) (Superseding Indictment)

            i. Misconduct in Office (4 counts): 0-10 years

            ii. Sexual Misconduct with an Inmate: 0-10 years 

            iii. Criminal Conspiracy: 0-5 years or $5,000

            iv. Money Laundering, value $300 to $20,000 (2 counts): 0-5 years and up to $250,000 or twice                         value of financial transactions, whichever greater

      (2) Judy Willis Mather

            2022-GS-47-32 (McCormick County)

            i. Misconduct in Office: 0-10 years

            ii. Criminal Conspiracy: 0-5 years or $5,000

            iii. Money Laundering, value greater than $100,000: 0-20 years and up to $250,000 or twice value                    of financial transactions, whichever greater

      (3) Shaquaila Ewnique Morgan

           2022-GS-47-31 (McCormick County) (Superseding Indictment)

           i. Misconduct in Office (4 counts): 25-30 years and $200,000

           ii. Criminal Conspiracy: 

           iii. Money Laundering:

      (4) Dion T. Gaines

            2023-GS-47-08 (McCormick County)

            i. Misconduct in Office: 0-10 years

            ii. Criminal Conspiracy: 0-5 years or $5,000

            iii. Money Laundering, value $300 to $20,000 (2 counts): 0-5 years and up to $250,000 or twice                         value of financial transactions, whichever greater

            iv. Ethics Violation: 0-10 years and $10,000

      (5) George Stevenson Leverette

            2023-GS-47-07 (Edgefield County)

            i. Trafficking Methamphetamine, 100-200 grams: 25 years and $50,000

            ii. Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Amphetamine): 0-6 months and $1,000

            iii. Unlawful Possession of Prescription Medication (Sildenafil): 0-2 years and $500

            iv. Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Violent Crime: 5 years in addition to the                         punishment provided for the principal crime

The case was investigated by the South Carolina State Grand Jury, which was assisted in this case by a partnership of the Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Division, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Division, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Simpsonville Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The cases will be prosecuted by State Grand Jury Division Chief Attorney Creighton Waters, Assistant Deputy Attorney General David Fernandez, Assistant Attorney General Jennifer McKellar, Special Assistant Attorney General Stephen Lunsford, and Special Assistant Attorney General Margaret Scott. 

Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

An unrelated SLED case: