Attorney General Alan Wilson announces five more defendants plead guilty in “Devil in Disguise” case

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that five defendants charged in the South Carolina State Grand Jury narcotics trafficking investigation known as “Devil in Disguise” pleaded guilty during the March 2, 2026, court week.

“The Attorney General’s Office and our law enforcement partners have aggressively used the State Grand Jury to get fentanyl dealers and career criminals off the street,” Attorney General Wilson said.    

Clyde Leon Holmes pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl (Conspiracy); Money Laundering; and Trafficking Methamphetamine, 10 Grams or More, But Less Than 28 Grams. He was sentenced to 15 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) by the Honorable R. Scott Sprouse, who is assigned to this case.

Bryant Bernard Fuller pleaded guilty to Money Laundering; Trafficking Cocaine Base, 10 Grams or More, But Less Than 28 Grams; Trafficking Methamphetamine, 10 Grams or More, But Less Than 28 Grams; Trafficking Methamphetamine, 28 Grams or More, But Less Than 100 Grams; Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base; and Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime. He was sentenced to 15 years.

Both Holmes and Fuller were suspected to have distributed fentanyl that caused overdose deaths, particularly in the Woodruff Road area of Greenville, where overdose deaths drastically declined after their arrests.

Patrick Jermain Clement pleaded guilty to Distribution of Cocaine (x2); Trafficking Fentanyl, 4 Grams or More, But Less Than 14 Grams; and Trafficking Methamphetamine, 10 Grams or More, But Less Than 28 Grams. He was sentenced to 15 years. 

Rodney Lemont Carter, Jr., pleaded guilty to Trafficking Cocaine, 28 Grams or More, But Less Than 100 Grams (Conspiracy); Trafficking Fentanyl, 4 Grams or More, But Less Than 14 Grams, Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime; and Trafficking Methamphetamine, 28 Grams or More, But Less Than 100 Grams. He was sentenced to 10 years.

Tavis Demond Barnette AKA “YAB” was on the trial docket. He pleaded guilty on the eve of trial to Trafficking Methamphetamine, 200 Grams or More, But Less Than 400 Grams; (x3) Trafficking Fentanyl, 4 Grams or More, But Less Than 14 Grams; Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, Trafficking Methamphetamine, 28 Grams or More, But Less Than 100 Grams; and Attempt to Furnish a Prisoner with Contraband. He was sentenced to 20 years. 

Barnette’s charges occurred from March 2021 through January 2025 and spanned four counties (Greenville, Jasper, Lexington, and Anderson). His most egregious crimes were distributing approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills on two occasions in Lexington County and using a drone to drop contraband into a prison in Jasper County. 

Attorney General Wilson and State Grand Jury chief attorney S. Creighton Waters thanked all the partner agencies for their hard work on the case. 

Assistant Attorney General Savanna Goude handled the guilty pleas. The case was investigated by the South Carolina State Grand Jury, which was assisted in this case by a partnership of the Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Division, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, South Carolina National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville County Coroner’s Office, Pickens County Coroner’s Office, Easley Police Department, Pickens Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Traveler’s Rest Police Department, and Greer Police Department.

The Attorney General’s Office would especially like to thank the law enforcement officers involved in the trial preparation of Tavis Barnette. 

Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.