Former Sumter County School District Director of the Child Early Reading Development and Education Program Pleads Guilty

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - June 25, 2021 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that Vivian “Libby” Campbell DuBose, formerly the Director of the Child Early Reading Development Program of the Sumter County School District, pleaded guilty to a felony State Grand Jury charge of Accepting Rebates and Extra Compensation, as well as a State Grand Jury charge of Misconduct in Office.

For the misconduct and extra compensation charges, the Honorable Judge DeAndrea G. Benjamin gave DuBose concurrent sentences of seven years in prison, suspended upon the service of five years’ probation.  Judge Benjamin also ordered DuBose to pay restitution to the Sumter County School District in the amount of $80,000.

The State Grand Jury first indicted DuBose on November 14, 2018, and alleged multiple counts of embezzlement and public corruption.  As part of her plea, DuBose waived presentment to the State Grand Jury the one count of Accepting Rebates and Extra Compensation.

For the felony Accepting Rebates and Extra Compensation indictment, DuBose admitted that while she was Director, she requested and accepted extra compensation at a rate of $125 per hour, in addition to her regularly provided salary, for professional development trainings she claimed to have conducted, but which she did not do.  DuBose accomplished her scheme by directing an assistant to duplicate timesheets submitted by another subordinate employee, to which DuBose’s information was then superimposed.

For the Misconduct in Office indictment, in addition to that conduct described above, DuBose admitted that while she was Director and responsible for the safekeeping of school district funds and property, she purchased more than $10,000 worth of consumer goods from Wayfair, Staples, and K-Mart of limited and dubious value to early childhood education, including things such as adult tricycles, AppleTVs, Kuerig coffee machines, carports, hammocks, furniture, vacuums, griddles, NuWave brand ovens, slow cookers, fryers, and NutriBullet brand blenders.  DuBose admitted that she converted these items from the school district’s rightful ownership, and failed to account for or inventory goods whether converted to an improper use or otherwise.  DuBose admitted to attempting to return the converted goods or like-goods when State authorities inquired about their purpose and location.

“Stealing from our schools will not be tolerated.  This is an unfortunate example of greed and opportunity causing a public servant to go from having a fine career to becoming a felon,” Wilson said.  “Like other cases, the State Grand Jury has proven particularly effective in ferreting out corruption in our schools and other public agencies and institutions,” he added.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Johnny Ellis James Jr. and State Grand Jury Division Chief Attorney S. Creighton Waters.  The Attorney General thanked the State Law Enforcement Division and the Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Division for their excellent work on investigating and prosecuting this case.  He also thanked the State Department of Education for its assistance to the investigation.