COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richard Quinn Sr., once one of the top political strategists in South Carolina, entered an Alford plea in Richland County Court Wednesday morning, putting an end to a years-long investigation into his pubic relations firm and the influence he had over state politics.
Quinn was the head of Richard Quinn & Associates and helped the careers of many politicians -- including Gov. Henry McMaster, Attorney General Alan Wilson, and the late US Senator-turned-presidential-candidate John McCain.
He was in court after being indicted on four counts of perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice. Quinn entered an Alford plea, which, according to Cornell Law School, means he registers a formal admission of guilt towards charges in criminal court while simultaneously expressing innocence toward those same charges.
On the perjury counts, Quinn was sentenced to 6 months of home detention per count; on the first obstruction of justice count, he was sentenced to 18 months home detention to run concurrently with the perjury sentences; on the second obstruction of justice count, that sentence was negotiated down from 10 years to two years probation and will run consecutive to the home detention. Quinn is to be subject to random video check-ins, will not have to wear an electronic monitoring device, and will be allowed to leave his home to attend church and medical appointments, meet with his lawyers and attend his grandchildren's significant family events.
According to the Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office, which prosecuted the case, the perjury charges were filed over testimony Quinn gave before a State Grand Jury on April 20, 2018 and May 7, 2018.
The investigation into Richard Quinn & Associates (RQA) lead to trials of local politicians who allegedly received money from RQA in exchange for favorable votes at the State House. Former lawmakers Rep. Jim Harrison (R-Richland), Sen. Jim Courson (R-Richland), Rep. Jim Merrill (R-Berkeley), and Rep. Rick Quinn (R-Lexington, Richard Quinn's son) were among those indicted and forced to leave office.
At one time, Rep. Quinn's attorneys fought to remove First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe from the corruption probe, believing Pascoe's motives were political as he had run against Alan Wilson for the Attorney General's office.