In Spartanburg, S.C., former County Sheriff Chuck Wright and two others have decided to plead guilty to federal charges, which involve embezzling county funds for personal use, including controlled substances.
Documents filed on Thursday reveal that Wright has admitted guilt to three offenses: conspiracy to commit theft affecting federally funded programs, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and acquiring prescriptions by deceit.
Amos Durham admitted to conspiracy involving theft from federally funded programs, while Lawson Watson conceded to wire fraud conspiracy.
The investigation follows allegations of misuse of funds, nepotism, and fraudulent activity.
As per court records, Wright allegedly misused the Chaplain’s Benevolence Fund, designed to support deputies financially and emotionally in difficult times.
Durham was director of the Benevolence Fund and used his position to siphon funds for his and Wright’s personal use, according to the filings.
In one instance, filings claim that Durham provided Wright with a blank check from the Benevolence Fund to purchase large quantities of drugs.
Watson, who was a hire under Wright, purportedly collected roughly $200,000 from the sheriff’s department for unperformed work between January 2021 and February 2025, as outlined in the court filings.
Wright is further accused of illegally obtaining 147 pain pills intended for disposal through a drug takeback initiative run by the sheriff’s office.
Wright resigned in May 2025, citing a health diagnosis as the reason.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office 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.”
7News spoke with county councilman Jack Mabry to grab his reaction. He says the department was taken advantage of. He added, “It’s pretty sad whenever you take money from the benevolence fund, an officer loses his life, and you don’t even have enough money to buy flowers. So I think that’s sad.”
