Mattress storein North Charleston, SC

North Charleston City Council met for the first time Thursday night after bombshell findings from a year-long FBI investigation involving three council members. Feb. 27, 2025. (WCIV)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — North Charleston City Council met for the first time Thursday night after bombshell findings from a year-long FBI investigation involving three council members.

City officials confirmed that Jerome Heyward and Sandino Moses have both resigned from the council. Mike A. Brown was suspended in an order issued by Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday.

During Thursday’s meeting, three of the city council’s 10 seats were empty, meaning residents living in those districts are currently without representation on the council.

So far, officials with the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration said a special election to fill Heyward’s District 5 seat is set for May 27. Candidate filing opens March 14. Officials have not yet confirmed an election schedule to fill Moses' District 3 seat.

READ MORE | "3 N. Charleston City Councilmembers, 5 others charged in corruption schemes."

North Charleston residents say they’re now looking for transparency.

“How do we continue to trust?” said Betsy Hayden.

Hayden said she was appalled to learn that three councilmen were federally charged, tied to a list of schemes and accused of abusing their influence for personal financial gain.

“They work for us and this is very disheartening,” she said. “Even the fact that it had to go to the FBI to be flushed out at what point in our government do they say, whoa, this isn't right.”

READ MORE | "North Charleston city councilman charged with extortion, bribes, embezzlement."

North Charleston Mayor Reggie Burgess said he and other city officials are fully cooperating with the FBI probe and that the city is taking necessary steps forward.

“In the light of these indictments, the city is conducting a thorough review of any matters in which the implicated city council and members may have read and involvement,” Burgess read from a written statement to reporters Thursday.

“This review is part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability, ensuring that all city operations adhere to the highest ethical standards,” he went on.

With an uncertain future for the city council and the opportunity to fill at least two vacant seats, residents said they’re looking to elect officials who will represent their best interests and follow the law.

“I charge them to not vote with their hearts, to not vote with their friends and to not vote with family. You have to vote according to the laws,” Hayden said.

Heyward and Moses are both expected to plead guilty to their charges Friday morning in a downtown Charleston courtroom.

Brown is facing a federal indictment and has his first court appearance set for March 11.

Published: Feb. 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM PST|

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - From farm to table, one North Charleston nonprofit is reimagining what food accessibility looks like.

The team at Fresh Future Farm is working to bring healthy options to North Charleston through food activism.

“There’s a lot of collard greens, kale, mustard greens, arugula, broccoli, just like all your winter crops and then we also have a good bit of herbs,” Tamazha North said, who serves as the co-director of food systems and finance.

“We grow, probably over the life of the farm, at least a hundred different crops,” North said.

North is part of the six-person staff at the Black-led nonprofit farm and grocery store, working alongside community volunteers to make accessibility happen.

“We’re on a mission to grow the quality of life our neighbors deserve and we’re doing that through our urban farm and grocery store space, but also education as well,” she said.

The once vacant lot has served as a place for the Chicora-Cherokee community to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, since 2016.

“Ultimately we want people to have, you know, unregulated access to food, no matter what. And also, you know, doing that in a dignified way that isn’t, you know, creating more trauma for the people who are just trying to eat, because we all do have to eat,” North said.

Fresh Future Farm fills a need in the neighborhood. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s one of 12 zones in the North Charleston area where people live between one and 10 miles from the nearest supermarket.

“Now folks are having to go outside the neighborhood. The USDA marked it as like one urban mile that folks are having to travel to go out, where the neighborhood is considered a food desert or low-income, low access area,” North said.

Beyond growing food, Fresh Future Farm has also made outreach and education a focus. The nonprofit offers classes about topics like nutritional guidance, composting and how to start your own garden.

“I think the most important thing is that we’re not trying to come into the community and tell them what to change, but like these are things you can add to improve your quality of life if that’s what you’re seeking out.”

Fresh Future Farm and grocery store is located at 2008 Success Street in North Charleston and is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. —

Three members of the City Council in North Charleston accepted kickbacks and bribes to give out grant money and rezone land or lied about what they knew, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Charges against North Charleston councilmen Jerome Heyward, Sandino Moses and Mike A. Brown along with five others were announced Wednesday after a yearlong investigation by the FBI and state officials.

Heyward took a $40,000 kickback from two nonprofit organizations in return for steering to them part of a $1.3 million grant to fight gun violence in North Charleston, according to court documents.

Heyward and Brown were part of a scheme by a boat maker to rezone land on the Ashley River in North Charleston that was once a hospital and before that a fertilizer plant to sell to a boat manufacturer. The company offered to build a park but also wanted a plant on the site.

The councilmen accepted bribes to try to get the rezoning passed and by that time the FBI was listening to Heyward’s call, catching Brown saying he was annoyed it was taking too long to get his money because he needed to pay for his son’s wedding, prosecutors said.

The rezoning plan was rejected.

Moses also took money to support the rezoning. He returned it, but he lied about the offer and what he knew about his fellow councilmen being on the take, according to charging documents.

Heyward is charged with extortion, bribery and wire fraud. Brown is charged with bribery and wire fraud, and Moses is charged with lying to federal investigators.

Heyward and Moses plan to plead guilty to their charges on Friday, acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Brook Andrews said.

A lawyer for Heyward didn’t comment Wednesday. The other councilmen and their lawyers didn’t immediately respond. Heyward and Moses have resigned from council, North Charleston officials said.

“The allegations in this case describe a profound betrayal of trust,” Andrews said at a news conference. “These council members used their positions not to serve their communities, but to enrich themselves.”

North Charleston is South Carolina’s third-largest city with about 125,000 people. Mayor Reggie Burgess thanked the FBI and state investigators for their work to make sure residents remained certain with their city government. He said the city fully cooperated with the investigation.

“Transparency and accountability remain core principles of this administration, and we welcomed this review as a necessary step to uphold those standards,” Burgess said.

Published: Feb. 27, 2025 at 10:01 AM PST|

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - People living in a downtown Charleston condo complex have been told to evacuate due to a potential structural issue.

The Dockside Condominiums were built in the 1970s and are located on Concord Street beside the International African American Museum.

Residents were going in and out of the gated community as they normally would on Thursday as they have until 5:00 p.m. on Friday before they must be evacuated.

Residents were told to pack their perishable items but to leave behind all furniture.

City of Charleston officials shared that this situation stems from a contractor, SKA, inspecting the building back in 2022.

They were renovating a privately owned unit when they found issues with the column and floor connection. Then, after inspecting some other parts of the building, they found the structural issues stemmed from problems with the initial construction. SKA did not deem the building unsafe at the time.

More recently, the Dockside Association hired another engineering firm, WJE, to conduct a more in-depth investigation to assess the load capacity of the floors. This firm sent a letter to Dockside on Tuesday saying the building was unsafe for continued occupancy.

The tower building has 112 units, 60-70% of which are occupied full- time.

Harry Traulsen Jr. has been renting at Dockside for nearly four years and says he was able to find a furnished place in Charleston to rent until this situation is resolved.

“There’s been a lot going on in the building for a long time and I’m surprised we are getting a vacate order but that’s the city and safety is the most important thing that we can do,” Traulsen said.

Dockside’s board of directors said Wednesday evening that they are working closely with residents to ensure a smooth and safe transition out of the building.

It is unknown how long these residents will be out of their homes.

“I’m not paying rent if I’m not here,” Traulsen said. ”Unfortunately, I paid March already because I like to pay ahead but the rent that I would pay here is now going to have to go towards the new place I’m renting.”

Dockise Board of Directors released the following statement regarding the evacuation.

“Our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our residents, visitors and staff. This afternoon, we were informed by the City of Charleston that for safety reasons, we have to evacuate the townhomes adjacent to Dockside Condominiums in downtown Charleston.”

City of Charleston officials are working with the engineering firm that deemed the building unsafe to plan the next steps.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Listen to this article

Eight people — including three members of the North Charleston City Council — face federal bribery, kickback, extortion and money laundering charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced.

Four suspects have been charged by Information and have agreed to plead guilty, a news release says. They are:

A federal grand jury returned indictments against four others:

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s office in Columbia and the State Law Enforcement Division.

Brook B. Andrews, acting U.S. attorney for the district, emphasized the moral requirements of public service.

“When elected officials take their oath of office, they make a sacred promise to the people they serve,” he said in the release. “They pledge to uphold the law, to act with integrity, and to place the public interest above their own.”

SLED Chief Mark Keel echoed the sentiment, saying. “Elected officials and citizens should be working together to better their community, not exploiting others.”

According to the release, Heyward has agreed to plead guilty to extortion under color of official right and using fear of economic harm; multiple counts of conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud; multiple counts of bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud; theft with respect to programs receiving federal funds; and multiple counts of money laundering. He could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years and three years supervised release and fined $500,000. He also has agreed to cooperate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Moses is charged with misprision of a felony. Having agreed to plead guilty and to cooperate with law enforcement, he faces a maximum prison term of three years and a year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

Donavan Laval Moten has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud, theft with respect to programs receiving federal funds, bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering. He also has agreed to cooperate with local enforcement and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000.

Hicks is charged with a conspiracy to pay bribes and a separate conspiracy count and has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud; bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds, and honest services wire fraud, the release says. He has agreed to cooperate with law enforcement. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

Mike A. Brown is charged with conspiring with Heyward and Hicks to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 20 years. He also could be fined $250,000 and ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

Fields is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud, bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds, and honest services wire fraud. He could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release and fined $250,000.

Lorenzo is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud, theft with respect to programs receiving federal funds, bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering. She could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release and fined $250,000.

Stent-Hilton is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud, theft with respect to programs receiving federal funds, bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering. Like some of the others, she could face 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000, the release says.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Limehouse and Whit Sowards will prosecute the cases.