Federal charges filed against former Sheriff Chuck Wright
By Zach Rainey, Rey Llerena
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SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WYFF) — Federal charges have been filed against former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, Amos Durham and Lawson Watson, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said all three men have agreed to plead guilty to three charges. The documents were filed months after Wright resigned from a position he had held for more than 20 years.
Spartanburg County Council Member Jack Mabry said Watson resigned on Feb. 14 and Durham resigned on May 16, a week before Wright stepped down on May 23.
The three charges include conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds; wire fraud conspiracy; and obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation.
Wright could be facing a maximum sentence of 29 years and significant fines, if the sentences were imposed consecutively. According to the plea agreement, Wright’s assets are also subject to forfeiture. Wright would most likely face a much lighter punishment as a first-time offender in a plea deal.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said it will not be commenting on the former sheriff.
Spartanburg County Attorney John Harris and County Administrator Cole Alverson released the following statement:
“Spartanburg County is aware of recent federal filings involving former employees of the Sheriff’s Office, Chuck Wright, Amos Durham and Lawson B. Watson. While not all the allegations involve taxpayer funds, the County takes its fiduciary responsibility seriously. Throughout the year, the County has been working directly with and will continue to work with law enforcement authorities as these matters proceed through the federal judicial process. The County trusts the judicial process and believes the matter will be handled with the fairness and diligence it deserves. As this is an ongoing legal matter, Spartanburg County will not provide further comment at this time.”
Alleged Embezzlement of Public Funds Court documents accuse Wright and former Chaplain Amos Durham of conspiring to embezzle funds from the sheriff’s office chaplain’s benevolence fund between 2017 and 2025.
The sheriff’s office received federal funding in excess of $10,000 each year during this time for the benevolence fund. These funds were awarded to the sheriff’s office for official purposes and were restricted to spending on law enforcement activities.
The official purpose of the benevolence fund is to provide financial and emotional assistance to officers of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office during times of need, such as bereavement, financial difficulties, and traumatic line-of-duty events.
According to the filing, between August 2022 and March 2025, Durham obtained $28,240 from the benevolence fund through ATM withdrawals for his and Wright’s personal use.
Between May 9, 2023, and May 20, 2023, Wright allegedly used money from the benevolence fund under the false pretense of paying for deputy expenses on a trip to Washington D.C. to honor a murdered Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Instead, Wright allegedly used the money for his own benefit and for the benefit of others.
The filing alleges that at some point in 2024, Wright used money from the benevolence fund to pay a confidential informant for a criminal case.
Additionally, prosecutors say Wright used money from the benevolence fund to buy drugs for personal use from an unindicted co-conspirator. This unindicted co-conspirator allegedly supplied Wright with prescription pills in exchange for money.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Wright allegedly obtained a blank check from Durham from the checking account of the benevolence fund. Wright is then accused of writing this blank check out to the unindicted co-conspirator, during a time Wright was allegedly “buying large quantities of controlled substances.”
Mabry said the county will be working to get the money back from the benevolence fund.
Authorities: Employee paid, but didn’t work The documents also allege that Watson received a salary and benefits as an employee of the sheriff’s office without performing any work.
According to the documents, Watson was hired by Wright on March 30, 2005.
From January 2021 through March 2025, Watson declared on his time sheet that he was a full-time employee, but allegedly worked at his own business in Spartanburg County during regular business hours.
According to the documents, from at least January 2021 through February 2025, Wright allowed Watson to fraudulently receive a salary of $200,000 and benefits for hours he did not work.
In an example, around 4:30 p.m., on Sept. 22, 2022, police responded to a domestic incident between Watson and another person at his home. On that day, Watson allegedly clocked 7.5 hours of work on the time sheet.
Watson’s attorney Beattie Ashmore stated, “[Watson] was charged in one of the three counts. He has been fully cooperative with the government and looks forward to putting the matter behind him.”
Obtaining Pills Through Drug Take-back Program Additionally, Wright is accused of obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation.
Between May 2023 and September 2023, Wright obtained 147 of oxycodone and hydrocodone pain pills for personal use through the guise of a drug take-back program.
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