BREAKING: Suspended Speaker Harrell expected to plead guilty, resign Thursday

Oct. 23--COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Suspended S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell is expected to resign his House seat and plead guilty Thursday to charges of using campaign funds for his personal gain, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Harrell is scheduled to appear at a 10:30 a.m. hearing at the Richland County courthouse, according to a prosecutor's press release.

Harrell's attorney, Bart Daniel, couldn't be reached immediately for comment.

No details were given about the subject of the hearing in the release, issued Wednesday afternoon by 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe.

"No further information will be provided at this time," Pascoe said in the release.

Harrell, 58, who faces various charges of criminal misconduct in office, already has had a bond hearing and is free on $18,000 bond.

Harrell was indicted Sept. 10 on nine charges, including illegally using campaign money for personal expenses, filing false campaign disclosure reports and misconduct in office. It was the first time in memory that a sitting South Carolina House speaker has been indicted.

Specifically, Harrell was indicted on two counts of misconduct in office, six counts of using campaign funds for personal use and one count of false reporting candidate campaign disclosures.

All the pending charges against Harrell are misdemeanors, but one -- common law misconduct in office -- carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

Pascoe wasn't taking questions Wednesday. But sources familiar with the investigation say Harrell will plead guilty to several of the charges and will resign from office. He also will be prohibited from seeking office for three years, the sources said.

One count charges Harrell with using more than $90,000 in campaign contributions to pay costs related to use of his personal airplane and another $70,286 to pay the salary of an unnamed administrative assistant who works for his State Farm insurance business. In all, Harrell paid himself from campaign funds "totaling approximately $294,335 in untaxed income," according to one count.

Harrell has insisted for months that he is innocent and has indicated he would seek a trial.

"I have said all along that I have never intentionally violated any law, and I still strongly believe that statement to be accurate," Harrell said after being indicted by a Richland County grand jury at Pascoe's behest on Sept. 9.

Harrell repeatedly has characterized a State Law Enforcement Division investigation into his campaign expenditures as politically motivated.

SLED finished its investigation late last year. In January, State Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that as a result of the SLED investigation, he would seek to convene a State Grand Jury for further investigation and possible indictment.

From January to the end of June, that grand jury further investigated Harrell. During that time, Harrell's lawyers fought a legal battle to disqualify Wilson from the case on conflict of interest and other issues.

In July, after the state Supreme Court ordered Circuit Court Judge Casey Manning to consider whether Wilson should be disqualified, Wilson stepped aside from the case and asked Pascoe to be the official prosecutor.

By that time, the State Grand Jury that had been reviewing the SLED investigation and other evidence had disbanded. On Sept. 2, Pascoe -- who had been informally reviewing the SLED investigation -- got official permission from Manning to use all the evidence developed by SLED and the State Grand Jury, according to court records.

Manning also designated Pascoe as prosecutor with the independence "to handle this case as he sees fit," according to Manning's order.

Seven days later, Pascoe sent SLED's Lt. Kevin Baker before a Richland County grand jury, which indicted Harrell later that day.

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