COLUMBIA, SC—A former sheriff plead guilty to conspiracy to harbor and conceal illegal immigrants, and under a plea deal, he will be sentenced to probation, officials said.
Former Sheriff James R. Metts, age 68, of Lexington, South Carolina, was facing up to 10 years behind bars until he agreed to the probation plea deal.
http://www.wach.com/news/story.aspx?id=1142424
“Prior to June he was Sheriff James Metts, the 42-year veteran Sheriff of Lexington County,” U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles remarked. “When we finish, he will leave this courthouse Jimmy Metts, the felon, and the citizens of Lexington County can move forward.”
Nettles stated in a press release on Tuesday that the maximum penalty for Conspiracy to Harbor and Conceal Illegal Aliens is imprisonment for 10 years and/or a fine of $250,000. In the plea agreement filed with the Court, federal prosecutors agreed that a sentence of three years of probation was an appropriate resolution for Metts, according to Nettles.
wistv.com – Columbia, South Carolina
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that beginning in September 2011, Metts agreed with others—on the phone and in person—to assist illegal aliens incarcerated in the Lexington County Detention Center and subject to immigration processing pursuant to a cooperative federal immigration program.
In doing so, Metts and his co-conspirators knew these aliens were present in the United States illegally.
For example, on September 16, an illegal alien was arrested. After Metts received a call from his co-conspirator the next morning, Metts intervened on behalf of the illegal alien.
Based on Metts’ early intervention, officials said this alien was released on a state bond prior to being identified or processed by federal immigration authorities as reflected in the federal immigration logbook with the notation, “Release per Sheriff Metts.”
The indictment alleged that there were several alleged phone calls between Metts and a former Lexington Town councilman, who it alleged was acting as a go-between for the owner of several Mexican restaurants.
According to the indictment, Metts accepted an envelope full of cash in exchange for keeping some of the restaurants’ employees from ending up in federal databases of immigrants who weren’t supposed to be in the U.S.